With the issue of drug trafficking in the South Pacific now a hot topic following the seizure of 1400 tonnes of drugs on a “narco sub” bound for Oceania, the cruising community need to be aware of the on-going international operations in the Pacific, how this will affect their cruising and how they too can assist the authorities in this fight against crime. Find out more in this news report.

Published 2 hours ago, updated 2 mins ago

International Operation Seizes Tonnes of Cocaine

The six-week Operation Orion involving agencies from 62 countries, stopped six semi-submersible vessels and seized 225 tonnes of cocaine.

One of the vessels was intercepted 2000km southwest of Clipperton Island, a remote, uninhabited French coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean, carrying five tonnes of the drug from Colombia. Five people on board were detained.

Captain Manuel Rodríguez, director of the Colombian Navy’s anti-narcotics unit, told the Guardian the Pacific route is a new one drug traffickers have opened for “narco subs” – which are semi-submersible stealth vessels that mostly sit underwater, making them hard to spot.

UN Conference on Drugs and Crime

In November 2024, Viki Moore, Director of Island Cruising NZ and DownUnder Rally, was invited to attend the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime conference in Brisbane, Australia along with the Heads of the Police Maritime Units in the Pacific.

These included the US Coastguard, Japanese Coastguard, Australian Navy & Maritime Police, NZ Navy, United States International Narcotics & Law Program, the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre and various heads of Maritime Police from Tonga, Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau, Samoa, Solomons and Tuvalu.

Viki was invited to attend and asked to profile cruising sailors, to identify ‘typical’ yachting behaviour and movements in the South Pacific.

“I must say it felt a bit intimidating to be in a room full of people in uniform, all the heads of their various Pacific maritime and border force departments, when I was technically the only one there representing the potential ‘enemy’, or at least the group of people suspected to be behind some of this organised crime in the Pacific – sailors,” Viki told Noonsite.

“But everyone was very friendly and politely answered all my leading questions.”

Drug Trafficking in the Pacific

Drug trafficking in the Pacific is becoming a huge problem. Viki explains; “The trouble is that the sophisticated drug cartels are not only causing havoc with drugs in various communities, but also sadly tarring all the other innocent yachties with the same brush. This why yachties have been treated suspiciously this season in the Pacific with a number of vessels, including Pacific Rally participants, being boarded and thoroughly searched.”

Viki also noted that many of the various Maritime and Police departments from the Pacific Countries who attended the conference, have a broad remit not only on drug trafficking, but also to protect their various borders from maritime security issues such as:

• Piracy
• Search & Rescue
• Illegal foreign fishing
• People smuggling
• Humanitarian relief
• Climate change & environmental security
• Trafficking of wildlife and other resources
• Pollution
• Illegal activity in Marine Protected areas
• Terrorism

“These small island nations have a vast EEZ to patrol and they have limited resources to do so,” she said.  “Given it is impossible to continuously patrol their sea areas, they then focus their attention on the group of people who they suspect to be doing the trafficking – and in this case – it’s sailors.”

Behind the Scenes Work

The conference was an opportunity for Viki to learn about the massive amount of work that is going on behind the scenes to keep an eye on what is going on in the Pacific. Maritime officials are tracking vessels from the moment they depart Panama until the moment they arrive in Australia or New Zealand and beyond.

There are around 700 vessels moving around the South Pacific at any one time, made up of commercial shipping, fishing vessels, cruise ships and recreational craft.

Viki explained to the maritime officials how the cruising community can actually be a huge help with their efforts. “I still believe that 99% of cruisers are not committing any maritime crime and I mentioned in my presentation that we could actually be a fantastic ally to the local authorities. After all, we have eyes everywhere and we certainly see lots of interesting things along the way – our members contributed many stories and photographs of unusual vessels, strange behaviour and things floating in the water, which could definitely be the missing piece in a puzzle being investigated.”

How You Can Help

If you notice any suspicious behaviour or things that look out of place, the best thing to do is to make a confidential report online. Provide as much information as you can such as:

• Date, time of the incident/issue you noticed
• Location – lat/long and bearings or other details
• Description of the vessel, item or people involved
• What makes you think it was suspicious

Your input will help direct the authorities resources towards catching the real criminals, as opposed to them needing to randomly search innocent cruisers.

Both New Zealand and Australia have websites where you can submit a confidential report and Viki confirms that the maritime officials there have promised that they will share any information with the local communities in the Pacific.”

• New Zealand Border Report Form
• Australian Department of Home Affairs Border Report Form.

The UN have also taken Viki’s feedback on board and are developing a similar system that will be specifically focused on the whole of the Pacific, where the information will be shared with the relevant country.

Viki said an added benefit of attending the conference was being able to connect with people who she hoped would be important contacts going forward .

“I am hoping the contacts I made at this conference will be able to help answer many of my curly questions I had about things going on in the Pacific relevant to our members and rally participants.”

Skipper On Trial for Drugs Trafficking Had Links to Drug Cartels

Meanwhile in French Polynesia an international drug trafficking trial has begun of a skipper who reportedly has links to ‘South American cartels’.   The New Zealand skipper was arrested last month (October 2024) by OFAST gendarmes with 9.5 kilos of cocaine on board his sailboat and his trial for international drug trafficking was due to commence on November 28.  According to the Ministry of the Interior, the defendant was “known for his links with South American cartels” and the arrest was made after several months of international surveillance.

Officials found 9.5kilos of cocaine hidden in the vessel’s toilets and according to TNTV, the seizure was the eighth in Polynesia since 2016.

For further information see Related News Links below.

Maritime Drug Trafficking in the Atlantic and Caribbean

In September 2024, officials from Spain’s Customs Surveillance Service, aboard the Special Operations Vessel ‘Petrel’, in cooperation with the French patrol ship ‘DFP3-JF Deniau’, intercepted a fishing boat carrying 500 kilos of cocaine in Atlantic waters, northwest of the Canary Islands. Six crew members, all Brazilian nationals, were arrested.

In August 2024, a Royal Navy patrol ship seized drugs from a semi-submerged vessel and a speedboat in the Caribbean.  HMS Trent intercepted 2,000kg (more than 4,000lb) of cocaine south of the Dominican Republic.   The US Coast Guard, which brought the drugs ashore on Monday, said 11 suspects were arrested.  The Royal Navy said the operation was its first-ever seizure of a so-called “narco-sub”, a semi-submersible or fully-submersible vessel used by drugs smugglers.

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About Island Cruising NZ and Down Under Rally

Island Cruising is dedicated to promoting safe and memorable sailing experiences in the Pacific region. Rallies are designed to foster a sense of community among sailors and provide opportunities for exploration, education and camaraderie in the South West Pacific.

Ph:  +64 21 438 977
Email:  info@islandcruising.nz
Facebook:  islandcruising.nz

Viki Moore
Managing Director
Island Cruising & Down Under Rally

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Related News:

• Narco Sub Busted in the Pacific with tonnes of Cocaine was Heading for Australia and New Zealand (The Guardian)
• Police Seize 2.3 tonnes of Cocaine from Fishing Boat that Broke Down off the Coast of Australia (CBS News)
• Skipper Linked to South American Drug Cartels On Trial for Cocaine Trafficking. (Radio1 French Polynesia)
• New Seizure of Cocaine Aboard Sailboat (Radio1 French Polynesia)
• Fishing Boat Intercepted with 500kgs of Cocaine Near Canary Islands (Canarian Weekly)
• Royal Navy Makes First “Narco-Sub” Drug Seizure (BBC)

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Related Links:

• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Report:  Transnational Organized Crime in the Pacific – Expansion, Challenges and Impact (October 2024)
• Island Cruising NZ and Down Under Rally

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