Senegal navy burns Karone cannabis fields, seizes 37 bags
On 30 October 2026 Senegal's navy raided cannabis-growing sites at Boune and Bocko in the Karone Islands, burning fields and seizing 37 bags of cannabis and four 20-litre containers of seeds. No arrests were made as the growers had fled before troops arrived.
On 30 October 2026, sailors and commandos from the Elinkine naval base raided
cannabis-growing sites at Boune and Bocko in the Karone Islands of Bignona
department.[1][2][3]The troops moved into the two isolated island villages in
Kafountine commune, Kataba 1 arrondissement, as part of a large security sweep.[4][2][3]No arrests were made in the operation.[1][2][3]The growers had left the area
before the forces arrived.[1][2][3]The operation ended without incident.[1][3]
The sweep uncovered several fields of chanvre indien, the French term for Indian
hemp or cannabis, hidden in dense vegetation.[1]Troops destroyed the fields
on site by fire.[4]They seized 37 bags of Indian hemp packed for transport.[1][2][3]They also seized four 20-litre containers filled with cannabis seeds.[5][2][3]
The island zone is amphibious and difficult to access, requiring a methodical
search by the deployed sailors and commandos.[4]The Elinkine base presented
the action as reasserting state authority in the enclaved coastal sectors.[4]The operation forms part of continuing defence and security operations against
drug production and trafficking in the Casamance islands.[1][3]
Photos and video
First photo published with the Dakarposte report on the Karone Islands navy cannabis operation.Photo details
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Cannabis
Seeds
Activity
Trafficking
Setting
Port or sea, Field
Case stage
Under investigation
Sources
Senewebseneweb.comLarge-scale anti-drug operation in Bignona: Several fields destroyed, 37 bags of Indian hemp seized
Senewebseneweb.comFRVaste opération antidrogue à Bignona : Plusieurs champs détruits, 37 sacs de chanvre indien saisis
Senegosenego.comFRBignona : Plusieurs plantations de cannabis détruites et 37 sacs de chanvre indien saisis dans les îles Karone
Dakarpostedakarposte.comFRCASAMANCE – COUP DE FILET DANS LES ÎLES KARONE : LA MARINE DÉTRUIT DES PLANTATIONS DE CANNABIS ET SAISIT 37 SACS DE CHANVRE !
Emediaemedia.snFRCasamance : les forces de défense et de sécurité détruisent plusieurs champs de chanvre indien dans les îles Karone
Open questions the AI reported
No weight was published for the 37 bags of cannabis, so no kilograms can be recorded.
No count of the cannabis plants or of the area of the destroyed fields was published.
No weight was published for the cannabis seeds in the four 20-litre containers.
No growers were named and no charges or court outcomes were reported.
Senegal's armed forces said commando troops destroyed seven fields of chanvre indien on 17 October 2026 in North Sindian, south-east of Tandine in Bignona department, as part of border security work in Casamance. No arrests were reported.
Military Zone No. 5 ran a joint security sweep on Salindiyaye in the Karones archipelago on 8 October 2026 and found several chanvre indien fields. The navy base at Ziguinchor and gendarmes took part; no one was arrested and searches continued.
On 25 June 2025 Interior Minister Jean-Baptiste Tine said defence and security forces had destroyed about 400 hectares of cannabis in the Karone Islands of Casamance and seized some 4,000 kg in a two-phase campaign that year; a mid-June phase alone reported 12 arrests.
Senegal's army said its commando battalion had destroyed more than 50 hectares of hemp in northern Sindian near the Gambian border since 7 October 2024, valued at more than 2 billion CFA francs, answering local pleas about trafficking and lost farmland.
