Six held as 70 kg of US cannabis resin seized in Réunion
Gendarmes in Réunion broke up a suspected drug-importation network on 30 June 2026 after customs intercepted a US air-freight parcel holding 70 kg of cannabis resin worth over 1.7 million euros. Six people were arrested, and searches also recovered cash, cocaine and vehicles; most suspects were placed in pre-trial detention.
Gendarmes of the Saint-Denis research section say they dismantled a
drug-importation network on Réunion on 30 June.[1]The inquiry had focused on
a 26-year-old man from Martinique living on Réunion.[1]
Investigators learned on 29 June of the imminent arrival of a parcel from the
United States.[2]The parcel came from the United States by air freight and
was isolated by customs officers, who found 13 bags containing bars of cannabis
resin.[1]The resin weighed 70 kg in total, which the authorities valued at
more than 1.7 million euros for resale.[1][3]Six people were arrested, four near
the airport area and two on the public road, with support from the GIGN
gendarmerie intervention branch.[2]Searches at their homes recovered 17,000
euros in cash, 200 grams of cocaine and several vehicles.[1][2]
On 30 June a judicial operation under an investigating judge mobilised about
fifty gendarmes.[2]
Five people were presented to the investigating judge on 3 July, according to
Réunion La 1ère.[1]Of those presented, one was placed under judicial
supervision and the other four in pre-trial detention.[1]LINFO.re reports the
five other suspects were placed in pre-trial detention after a hearing before
the liberty and detention judge.[2]Investigations are continuing to identify
all the branches of the suspected importation network.[2][3]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Réunion La 1èrela1ere.franceinfo.frFRTrafic de drogue : un réseau d'importation démantelé, plus de 70kg de résine de cannabis saisis et six individus interpellés à La Réunion
LINFO.relinfo.reFRLes gendarmes saisissent 70 kg de résine de cannabis d'une valeur de 1,7 million d'euros
Clicanooclicanoo.reFRPlus de 70 kg de résine de cannabis saisis à La Réunion : six personnes interpellées
Open questions the AI reported
Réunion La 1ère says five people were presented to the investigating judge on 3 July (one under judicial supervision, four in pre-trial detention), while LINFO.re describes one suspect under supervision and five others in detention, implying six presented; this report records only the six arrests and leaves the number formally charged open.
The 200 grams of cocaine and the seized cash and vehicles are not cannabis figures; the cocaine weight is excluded from kg_seized and no vehicle count is recorded because the sources say only several vehicles.
No names, ages beyond the initial 26-year-old suspect, or later court outcome were reported.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in LINFO.re: The preliminary inquiry had opened in early May 2026.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in LINFO.re: The investigation became a formal judicial inquiry on 18 June 2026.
Clicanoo says more than 70 kg while LINFO.re and the report give 70 kg in total; the report's 70 kg figure is retained.
Gendarmes seized 156 kg of cannabis packed in 10 sacks as two men prepared to load them onto a boat on the seafront at Bras-Panon, Réunion, on 26 July 2026. Both were arrested and brought before a prosecutor; investigators say the haul was bound for Mauritius.
National police in Saint-André, Réunion, found more than 30 kg of zamal after patrolling officers were drawn to a private home by a strong smell of cannabis on 14 April 2026. An investigation was opened and no arrest or charge was reported.
Gendarmes arrested 18 people in Réunion and mainland France on 25 October 2025 and found 497 bars of cannabis resin, more than 50 kg, hidden in new vehicles aboard the Grand Hero at Port Est the next day. One suspect was a docker suspected of facilitating the imports, and the gendarmerie valued the resin at more than one million euros.
Réunion gendarmes seized 104 zamal plants and 1.49 kg of dried zamal leaves in Saint-Louis and Saint-Paul, with 8 plants plus the dried material at Saint-Louis and 96 plants at Saint-Paul. No arrests or court outcomes were reported, and the gendarmerie warned of youth use, drug-driving and trafficking risks.
