Nine arrested as 224 kg of zamal seized in Réunion–Mauritius network
Réunion gendarmes announced on 11 February 2025 that they had dismantled a zamal trafficking network between Réunion and Mauritius, with nine people arrested and the main suspects jailed. The seizures totalled 224 kg of cannabis, which investigators valued at 5 million euros, including 162 kg found in a boat at the Sainte-Marie jetty.
Gendarmes dismantled a drug-trafficking network running between Réunion and
Mauritius, gendarmes announced on 11 February 2025.[1]Nine people were
arrested in the case and the principal suspects were placed in detention.[2]
Gendarmes seized224 kilograms of zamal, the Réunion Creole word for cannabis,
in the case.[2]Investigators put the market value of the seized drugs at 5
million euros.[2]Seven people were placed under formal investigation in the
case.[2]
On 16 December 2024, gendarmes of the GIGN branch arrested three people at the
Sainte-Marie jetty as they prepared to sail to Mauritius.[2]Their boat was
carrying 162 kg of zamal and two firearms hidden in its hold.[2]Two firearms
were found during the Sainte-Marie boat seizure.[1]The case began with an
investigation opened in August 2024 by the anti-narcotics branch (A-OFAST) of
Saint-Denis and the Saint-Benoît research brigade.[1]That investigation
produced a first seizure of 62 kg of zamal.[1]
On 4 and 5 February 2025, three more people linked to the case were questioned
by investigators under a judicial investigation opened at the Saint-Denis court.[2]In that final operational phase, gendarmes seized 7,000 euros in cash,
several zamal plants, a handgun and a vehicle.[2]The operation ended a
network organised between Réunion and Mauritius that had been structured over
several months.[3]
Photos and video
Gendarmerie handout picture published with the Réunion–Mauritius network announcement. Photo: Gendarmerie de La RéunionPhoto details
Ko@fékoafe.infoFRDémantèlement d’un vaste trafic de drogue : 224 kg de zamal saisis et plusieurs arrestations
Open questions the AI reported
The article gives no precise date for the overall announcement; 11 February 2025 is the date of the gendarmerie communiqué and of Réunion La 1ère's publication.
The 224 kg total is described as summing the 162 kg seized on the boat and the earlier 62 kg seizure; no further split is reported.
The article says several zamal plants were seized but gives no count or weight for them.
No name, age or nationality of the nine arrested people was published.
No court outcome has been reported; seven of the nine were placed under formal investigation and the main suspects were held in detention.
The place given is a region-level description because the operation spanned Sainte-Marie (the boat seizure), Saint-Benoît and Saint-Denis, with the case file at Saint-Denis court.
Until later court reporting confirms otherwise, it is unclear whether any of the nine people here overlap with the twelve defendants convicted in June 2026 in the related Réunion–Mauritius case.
Gendarmes in Saint-Benoît, Réunion, took a man into custody on 3 October 2026 during an armed-violence inquiry and searched his home. They seized 46 zamal cannabis plants, 5.9 kg of cannabis, three firearms, 411 rounds, growing equipment and 305 euros.
Réunion gendarmes arrested a fruit and vegetable seller in front of the Roches Maigres vocational school in Saint-Louis on 26 August 2026 after watching him sell zamal, finding 1.484 kg of zamal and 16,729 euros under his stand and at his home. He faces prosecution for dealing beside a school, an aggravating circumstance.
Police in Le Port, Réunion, arrested a wanted man on 16 July 2026 after tracing a strong cannabis smell to a building stairwell; three officers were hurt when he resisted. He faced allegations of drug use, rebellion and escape and was due for an immediate-appearance trial on 20 July.
Customs officers at Roland-Garros Airport arrested a Réunionese university student arriving from the Paris region with more than 8 kg of cannabis resin in his luggage. After custody, he was presented to the Saint-Denis prosecutor and tried on 1 July 2026 under the immediate-trial procedure.
