Two Saint Lucian nationals aged 36 and 55 were judged on 2 October in immediate proceedings at the Fort-de-France judicial court.[1] The 55-year-old man, who had no criminal record, was also banned from French territory for three years.[2] The pilot was blamed for refusing to obey the Marin naval brigade and the passenger for illegally entering French territory despite a definitive judicial ban.[2]

The men had been intercepted at night on 29 September less than two kilometres off Sainte-Luce aboard a yole carrying 65 kilos of cannabis herb.[2] Around 1 a.m. the Marin naval brigade was patrolling at sea under the Scotopelia coastal defence mission.[3][4] The Yemaya crew, reinforced by Annecy mobile gendarmes, detected the suspect boat and started searching with a projector.[3] During the pursuit the yole’s occupants threw part of the load overboard.[3] Refusing control, the pilot repeatedly steered toward the gendarmerie launch, causing several impacts before the yole stopped.[3] Gendarmes combed the area and recovered several bales floating at the surface that proved to be cannabis herb.[3]

The gendarmerie put the operation’s haul at 69 kilos of cannabis herb plus the yole and 500 litres of fuel.[3][4] The Fort-de-France prosecutor assigned the investigation to the Marin research brigade.[3] The seized property and equipment were confiscated.[3]