Mauritius coast guard constable, 21, held over cannabis sale to ADSU officers
A 21-year-old National Coast Guard constable was arrested in Mahébourg on 28 October 2026 after allegedly selling two sachets of cannabis weighing 2.10 grams to undercover Anti Drug and Smuggling Unit officers. He was provisionally charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling, and ADSU arrested a second coast guard member in the same investigation the next day.
A 21-year-old National Coast Guard constable was arrested in Mahébourg on
Wednesday 28 October 2026.[1]Two officers of the Anti Drug and Smuggling Unit
(ADSU) posed as drug buyers and arranged to meet him at Rue des Hollandais.[2]He was waiting beside his Mercedes when he handed over the two sachets of
cannabis.[2]The officers then identified themselves and arrested him.[2]
The cannabis weighed 2.10 grams and police valued it at Rs 1,500.[2]Officers
also found Rs 3,800 on the suspect.[2]Investigators suspect the money came
from drug sales.[2][3]A search of his home in Mahébourg found nothing.[2]Police nonetheless requisitioned his vehicle for the investigation.[2]His
mobile phone was also seized.[1]He was placed in police detention.[1][3]
He was provisionally charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of
selling.[2]The inquiry is led by Sergeants Valsada and Ramessur under
Assistant Superintendent of Police Sooknah.[1]ADSU arrested a second National
Coast Guard member in the same investigation on Thursday 29 October.[4][3][5]Investigators are examining the two coast guard members’ suspected involvement
in possible cannabis trafficking in the south of the island.[4]
The two are Yeshvin Venkatesh Pydegadu, 21, a recruit posted to the Chaland post, and Gerald Steeven Bagboot, 34, a constable at the Bois-des-Amourettes post.[3]Police suspect they acted in collusion.[3]Bagboot lives at Beau-Champ and has 14 years’ service.[3]Bagboot was arrested after Pydegadu made allegations about where the cannabis came from.[3]
L’Express reported that Pydegadu had identified Bagboot as the colleague who sold him a 5 g sachet of cannabis on 27 October.[5]Bagboot was held in a police cell awaiting his court appearance on a provisional charge of Drug Dealing with Aggravating Circumstances, and police said they would oppose bail.[5]A search of his home found nothing incriminating, the newspaper reported.[5]Pydegadu was on leave and preparing to fly to Thailand, and the first findings suggested the two officers may have exchanged cannabis, with Bagboot himself having bought drugs from Pydegadu.[5]
Photos and video
Yeshvin Venkatesh Pydegadu (left) and Gerald Steeven Bagboot, the two arrested National Coast Guard officers, in police custody.Photo details
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
2
Charged
1
Cannabis
2.1 g
Value (official estimate)
MUR 1,500
Agency type
Coast guard, Police
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis (2.1 g)
Activity
Smuggling, Trafficking, Possession
Setting
Home
Case stage
Charged
Sources
Le Défi Media Groupdefimedia.infoFRTrafic présumé : un policier de la NCG soupçonné d’avoir vendu du cannabis à des agents de l’ADSU se faisant passer pour des clients
Le Mauricienlemauricien.comFRMAHÉBOURG : Un constable vend deux sachets de cannabis à ses collègues de l’ADSU
L'Expresslexpress.muFRLa piste d’un trafiquant présumé qui tirerait les ficelles de sa cellule
Open questions the AI reported
The reports do not name the constable or the second coast guard member arrested.
No court date or outcome was reported after the provisional charge.
Le Mauricien says police requisitioned the constable's vehicle, while Le Défi says his Mercedes was seized; neither says whether it was returned.
Le Défi's follow-up says the cannabis was found in a search of the constable's Mercedes, while Le Mauricien describes a handover to undercover officers beside the car.
No police statement or court record was found; the account rests on the two Mauritian newspapers.
The only photograph on the Le Mauricien article shows the ADSU headquarters building in Mahébourg, not the arrest, so no event photo is listed.
Le Défi values the 2.10 grams of cannabis at Rs 6,300, while Le Mauricien reported a police estimate of Rs 1,500.
Le Défi says Pydegadu was provisionally charged with drug dealing (trafic de drogue) at the Mahébourg court on 29 October, while Le Mauricien reported a charge of possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling.
No report says whether Gerald Steeven Bagboot has been charged or when he is due in court.
Le Défi links the arrests to a separate investigation into National Coast Guard members over the alleged importation of 1.5 tonnes of cannabis from Thailand, an event left out of this report.
L'Express says Bagboot allegedly sold 5 g of cannabis to Pydegadu on 27 October, while the earlier reports describe Pydegadu selling 2.10 g to undercover ADSU officers; the accounts differ on who sold to whom.
The 5 g weight and the expected charge come from L'Express alone; no police statement or court record confirming them was found.
Mauritian police have now arrested 18 people over about 1.5 tonnes of cannabis said to have been landed from the Thai yacht Dreamer off Round Island on 20 October 2026. The latest suspect, a port-zone employee held for allegedly driving three shore-pickup men, appeared on a provisional conspiracy charge as investigators named Mauritian-British suspect Nishal as the alleged sender.
ADSU officers arrested two young men aged 20 and 21 in Bois-des-Amourettes with 30.88 grams of cannabis in two sachets. A 15-year-old with them fled, and later home searches found nothing further.
ADSU officers arrested a 25-year-old electrician along Rue Madras at Camp-Levieux and found 44 cellophane wrappings of cannabis on him. Police also seized Rs 6,650 suspected to be drug-sale proceeds, and the suspect was placed in detention as the investigation continued.
ADSU officers searched Marie Noemy Chedy's home at Colville Deverelle, Cité La Cure, seizing 25.33 g of cannabis and Rs 260,875 in suspected drug proceeds. The 30-year-old was placed in police detention on a provisional drug-trafficking charge.
