The French navy has seized nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine, worth $610m (£540m), off the coast of West Africa, according to French authorities.
Two French naval vessels operating as part of Operation Corymbe intercepted the enormous cocaine haul from an unflagged fishing vessel on Monday, acting on a tip-off from maritime intelligence, anti-drug authorities, and the British National Crime Agency.
The Corymbe naval mission has been deployed by France in the Gulf of Guinea since 1990 to ensure security in an area where piracy is fairly common.
9.6 tonnes of cocaine has been intercepted by two French ships, the French navy said.
It added that 54 tonnes of drugs had been intercepted in the area since the beginning of the year.
France's Atlantic Maritime Prefecture stated that seamless cooperation by national and international actors in the fight against narcotics had led to the remarkable seizure of 9.6 tonnes of cocaine.
The Gulf of Guinea, off the western coast of Africa, has seen multiple drug busts in recent months as the region serves as a key transit point in the global trafficking of narcotics, particularly cocaine from South America shipping to Europe.
The area was once known as the world's most dangerous for maritime piracy, surpassing Somalia. Several Western nations have dispatched ships to aid in combating piracy in the region.
In March of last year, a record cocaine seizure of 10.7 tonnes was made by the French navy, marking the largest interception of the illegal trade off West Africa's coast.
