The Kenyan navy, supported by the CRFIM, the CROC and the COI, carried out an exemplary operation which marks a turning point in the fight against maritime drug trafficking.
A joint operation carried out on October 25, some 600 kilometers from the Kenyan coast, led to the record seizure of 1,024 kilos of methamphetamine hidden on board a dhow. A historic catch, the result of unprecedented regional coordination under the leadership of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and the Safe Seas Africa program, supported by the European Union. The initial alert came from the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Center (CRFIM), based in Madagascar. This center identified the suspect vessel through cross-checking of data and analysis of abnormal trajectories.
Hand in hand. Working closely with the Regional Operations Coordination Center (ROC) in Seychelles, the RMIFC directed the Kenyan navy to the dhow, while a Seychellois patrol aircraft provided aerial surveillance. The vessel was eventually intercepted and escorted to Mombasa, where the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) took charge of the six arrested foreign traffickers. This operation illustrates the rise in power of the regional maritime security architecture put in place by the IOC. A mechanism which, beyond the sharing of information, now allows coordinated and effective actions at sea. For regional authorities, this success confirms that the fight against drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean can only be won through sustained cooperation and permanent exchanges between States.
José Belalahy