Eight held as ADSU probes Thai vessel over tonne of cannabis
Anti-drug police searched a Thai vessel off Baie-du-Tombeau on 23 October 2026 while investigating two suspected seaborne cannabis deliveries totalling just over a tonne. Seven crew were arrested, with an eighth suspect caught at the airport on 27 October trying to leave the country.
🇲🇺 Off Baie-du-Tombeau · Mauritius
- Arrested
- 8
The Anti Drug and Smuggling Unit, with the National Coast Guard’s Maritime Intelligence Cell, is investigating a suspected drug pipeline between Thailand and Mauritius centred on two alleged seaborne cannabis deliveries totalling just over a tonne.[1] The operation began after a Thai vessel anchored off Mauritius on the night of 19-20 October; it was searched on 23 October off Baie-du-Tombeau.[1]
In the first searches, officers reportedly seized about 2.7 million in euros and Thai baht, found irregularities in the crew register, and discovered phone photos of bags suspected of holding cannabis.[1] Investigators are establishing why the vessel was in Mauritian waters and whether it links to the two suspected deliveries.[1]
Seven crew members have been arrested since the 23 October search and face a provisional charge of conspiracy to import dangerous drugs before the Port-Louis court; an eighth suspect was arrested on Tuesday 27 October at Plaisance airport while about to fly out of the country.[1] A formal assistance request to the Thai authorities is under consideration.[1] In a separate weekend sweep, ADSU units seized a package of just under a kilo of cannabis described as Thai origin elsewhere on the island.[1] All those arrested remain in detention while the inquiry maps the suspected network.[1]
Sources
- Trafic maritime présumé entre la Thaïlande et Maurice : l'Adsu enquête sur deux livraisons de plus d'une tonne de cannabis au total. Le Défi Media Group, 28 October 2026. In French.