By Bisola Adeyemo
No fewer than two tonnes of pure cocaine was confiscated from a ship off its Atlantic coast, the navy said on Tuesday.
West African country’s largest ever cocaine bust. 2,026 kg of cocaine was found on a ship 363 km (226 miles) off the coast by naval forces backed by air support from the French air force, the navy said in a statement.
Reuters reports that the ship had five crew members aboard, it added.
Drug smugglers typically use West Africa as a transshipment point for cocaine en route from South America to Europe.
In January, authorities in neighbouring Gambia seized nearly three tonnes of cocaine from a shipment of industrial salt originating in Ecuador.
Also, on Monday, Morocco police seized one tonne and 335 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a container ship in Tangier Med Port.