12 held in New Caledonia cannabis bust with 20M francs seized
National police arrested 12 people in coordinated searches across Houaïlou, Bourail, Nouméa and the suburbs, dismantling a major cannabis production and resale network. Officers seized several kilos of cannabis herb, weapons and a record 20 million francs in cash.
🇫🇷 Houaïlou, Bourail and Nouméa, New Caledonia · France
National police carried out an unprecedented dragnet between Houaïlou and Nouméa
on Monday, according to the newspaper’s information.[1]The wider operation
covered Houaïlou, Bourail, Nouméa and the surrounding urban area.[1]Officers
arrested twelve people during the operation.[1]The operation put one of the
biggest cannabis-herb production and resale networks supplying local dealers out
of action.[1]
Searches in the operation seized several kilos of cannabis herb.[1]The same
searches also seized weapons.[1]Officers also seized 20 million francs in
cash.[1]The newspaper called the cash seizure a record haul for police
officers.[1]
It described the seizure as rare and exceptional in the country.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
12
Value (official estimate)
XPF 20,000,000
Agency type
Police
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis
Activity
Sale
Setting
Street or public place
Case stage
Under investigation
Sources
Les Nouvelles Calédonienneslnc.ncFR[INFO LNC] Trafic de cannabis : 20 millions de francs saisis en liquide, une prise record pour les policiers
Open questions the AI reported
The operation day is given only as Monday, so 12 December 2022 is inferred as the Monday before the 14 December publication date.
No exact cannabis weight was published, only several kilos, so no kilograms are recorded.
The article body beyond the opening lines is paywalled, with 94 percent hidden, so details on where each seizure occurred and the cash breakdown are unavailable.
The source says francs without spelling out the currency, so the 20 million is recorded as CFP francs (XPF), the franc used in New Caledonia.
No charges, custody decisions or court outcomes were reported in the accessible text.
Only one source could be opened; searches for a second account and a Wayback fetch found nothing accessible to corroborate the operation.
No confirmable event photo is listed because the page's supplied thumbnails show unrelated stories and the main image has no caption confirming it shows this seizure.
Anti-crime squad officers arrested three men selling cocaine and cannabis resin from Marseille streets on Sunday 8 November 2026, two in the 11th arrondissement and one in the 15th. Two officers were injured overpowering the third man, and all three were taken into police custody.
A 24-year-old man was arrested in Montpellier's Saint-Martin neighbourhood on 8 November 2026 after offering to sell cannabis to an undercover anti-crime (BAC) officer, and three officers were needed to detain him when he bit one of them. Officers found 21 g of cannabis, a small amount of cocaine and cash nearby, and he is due in court on 10 November.
Police in Le Mans stopped a 22-year-old riding an electric scooter at high speed on the pavement on 8 November 2026 after he refused to stop, then found a substance that appeared to be cannabis resin on him. He was held in custody and is to be summoned in June 2027 under a fixed-penalty court order providing for 70 hours of unpaid work.
Police in Draguignan arrested one adult and two minors after finding nearly 2.5 kg of cannabis resin disguised as Dubai chocolate bars in their car. One of the three, who was to deliver the drugs, was referred to the prosecutor and placed under judicial supervision pending trial.
