The French Navy conducted an operation near Martinique Island, off the coast of South America, on a ship that had departed from Istanbul. During the operation, more than 9 tons of drugs were seized, with an estimated market value exceeding $3 billion. The ship, named Haliç-Equality, reportedly belongs to a Turkish shipowner identified as H.B.T.
According to a report by Can Bursalı from Gazete Duvar, the ship, which was classified as scrap and valued at approximately $200,000, departed from Istanbul on November 12, 2024. Security sources indicate that the ship docked in Guinea-Bissau, a West African country, on December 10, 2024. On December 13, it set sail from Guinea-Bissau, heading toward Martinique Island in the South Atlantic.
The ship turned off its radar signal on December 28, and the operation was carried out on January 10. During the raid, 250 packages were discovered. Tests confirmed that the packages contained cocaine. The more than 9 tons of cocaine seized from the ship has an estimated street value exceeding $3 billion.
This is the fifth ship linked to Turkish shipowners caught with large quantities of drugs by the French Navy in the past three years. The total amount of drugs seized from these ships exceeds 25 tons, with an estimated total value of $10 billion.
