![Laurent Nuñez. [Benoît Durand / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP]](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/114253546/cb02785258b34f3214efe2179d8da1a2d4f43f70247f75cbf5dff6cf4eadc75d)
![Douanes (Illustration) [Crédit Carine Schmitt Hans Lucas Hans Lucas via AFP]](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/114234179/172f735012b031b82910e99b500c48b2b8e68bc0ba4b52d89fc8b437c18aa289)
Overview
- Customs intercepted the drugs in three February operations at Dunkerque—1.9 tonnes on the 7th, 8.4 tonnes on the 12th, and 2.8 tonnes on the 18th—setting a new national record.
- The haul, concealed inside legitimate shipping containers, included shipments bound for France as well as destinations outside the European Union.
- Authorities estimate the retail value of the 13 tonnes at roughly €865 million.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported 84.3 tonnes of cocaine seized nationwide in 2025, up 58% from 2024, with cannabis seizures rising to 127.3 tonnes and criminal assets confiscations reaching €146 million.
- The announcement coincided with a meeting at the Élysée led by President Emmanuel Macron on countering narcotrafficking, even as specialists note seizures capture only a fraction of total flows.