1.5 tonnes of cannabis seized at sea; 11 handed to Venezuela
French frigate Ventôse seized 1.5 tonnes of cannabis from a Venezuelan fishing boat in the Caribbean Sea on 7 December 2022. The 11 crew, vessel and 27 bales were handed to Venezuelan authorities, who destroyed the drugs on 11 December.
The French Navy vessel Ventôse crew seized1.5 tons of cannabis from a
suspicious vessel in the Caribbean sea.[1][2]The Forces Armées Aux Antilles
Facebook page said the seizure occurred on December 7, 2022.[1]The French
authorities handed the 11-member crew, the vessel, and the drugs over to
Venezuelan law enforcement officials.[1]The Venezuelan-flagged fishing boat
El Lirico, registration ARSH-PE-0357, was intercepted 100 nautical miles inside
the exclusive economic zone.[3][2]
According Monday’s Facebook post, 27 bundles tested positive for cannabis.[1]The inspection found 27 sacks of suspected marijuana weighing about 1,500 kg,
and 11 Venezuelan nationals aboard were apprehended.[3][2]The transfer to a
Venezuelan coast-guard patrol boat was made at sea on Saturday 10 December 50
nautical miles north of the Venezuelan coast.[4]The next day the 27 bales of
cannabis, equivalent to 1.5 tonnes, were destroyed in the presence of a French
delegation.[4]
The operation, the fruit of international cooperation, mobilized several
intelligence bodies including the OFAST anti-drugs office and the Fort-de-France
prosecutor.[4]It was the 9th seizure of the year by French forces in the
Caribbean, resulting in a total of 5 tons of narcotics intercepted in 2022.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Venprensavenprensa.comESNueva Esparta: Incautan 1492 kilos de marihuana, detenidos 11 narcotráficantes
RCIrci.fmFR1,5 tonne de cannabis saisie par les Forces armées aux Antilles
Open questions the AI reported
No exact seizure coordinates were published, so the map point marks the southern Caribbean off Venezuela rather than a precise site.
No names, ages, charges or court outcome for the 11 crew beyond handover and apprehension were reported.
Venprensa headlines the haul as 1492 kilos while its text and French accounts say about 1,500 kg or 1.5 tonnes; the report uses 1500 kg.
The 5-tonne 2022 total covers all narcotics intercepted by French Antilles forces, not cannabis alone.
The drug is described only as presumed or suspected marijuana; no laboratory confirmation was reported.
No charges, custody ruling or court outcome for the 11 crew were reported in this article.
The article's 2022 cumulative totals of 43,352.963 kg in 7,293 procedures and 78 operations belong to national statistics, not to this seizure, and are left out.
The Bolivarian National Guard stopped a go-fast boat off Falcón and arrested three people. The load was 1,485.506 kg of marijuana in 1,726 cakes and 8.856 kg of cocaine in nine cakes, after intelligence work with French customs.
Venezuela’s interior ministry said the National Guard, the navy and the French navy seized 1,727.40 kg of marijuana and 1,173.50 kg of cocaine at sea in the Caribbean and arrested four people. The detainees and the drugs were sent to prosecutors.
CICPC officers dismantled the organised crime group "El Clan de Los Salas" in Píritu, Falcón, seizing 274.8 kg of marijuana in 482 cakes from a rural house used as a collection point for shipments to the Caribbean. The 59-year-old owner of the property was arrested and handed to the 21st drugs prosecutor, while the men guarding the load escaped.
Police officers of the Bolivarian National Police (CPNB) intelligence directorate in Nueva Esparta carried out an operation on Cubagua island that ended with two men detained. The officers seized more than 800 kilograms of presumed marijuana packed in 1,529 wrappers, along with GPS devices, mobile phones and a generator.
