“Missie nou tou le kat ti pe ale pran ene livrezon la drog”. This is the confession of one of the four Mauritian suspects apprehended aboard a boat on the high seas on the evening of Friday January 5 by a team of Marcoss commandos from the National Coast Guard (NCG). The NCG men continued the patrol at sea and, with air support from the Dornier aircraft, another boat was located. The NCG patrol boat Barracuda was dispatched to this location. After fourteen hours on the water, the suspect boat was intercepted. However, a two-hour sea chase ensued before the boat was stopped and boarded by the commandos. Twenty-four parcels of drugs, including cannabis and other drugs weighing 330 kilos, were discovered on board. The six Malagasy crew members were arrested. The drugs have a street value of Rs 500 million.
Following an intelligence led, this team of police officers has been working for several weeks under the personal supervision of Police Commissioner Anil Kumar Dip to track down a boat that was due to come in from the sea with a large quantity of drugs. On the evening of Friday January 5, after this information had been confirmed, this commando operation was launched at around 10 p.m. with the assistance of elements of the NCG, the Customs Anti Narcotics Section of the Mauritius Revenue Authority and police officers from the Field Intelligence Office. The exercise led to the detection of a boat with four Mauritians on board.
They are Steven Kisnaven Boodhun, alias Tiven, aged 43, resident of Cap Malheureux and three residents of Cité Cure, Jean David Legentil, alias Miguel, a 27-year-old contractor, Guillaume Emilien, a 37-year-old bricklayer and Yoel Ismaël, aged 26. When questioned, Steven Boodhun declared, “Missie nou tou le kat ti pe ale pran ene livrezon la drog”. His three other companions, who were questioned in turn, remained silent. Under escort, they were taken to the NCG security port, where their boat was searched. Twenty-five cans filled with petrol, another with twenty-five liters of petrol, another with forty liters of oil, ten liters of washing-up liquid, twenty-five cans of beer, fruit, soft drinks, forty packets of cookies, one liter of cooking oil, four bottles of dairy products, three tins of pistachios, several tins of tinned food, energy drinks, batteries, three cell phones and a smart watch.
The four Mauritians were arrested on a charge of conspiracy to commit an illegal act in an attempt to take possession of the dangerous drug.
The search continued at sea. The logistical support of the Dornier was called in to fly over the area where the four Mauritians’ boat had been spotted. This exercise enabled the patrol boat to locate another boat in our waters. This information, transmitted to the ground, led to the deployment of the Barracuda patrol boat, which set course for the indicated area. The patrol aircraft continued to monitor the movement of the suspect boat.
After almost fourteen hours of sailing, the Barracuda arrived in the indicated area. But the suspicious boat did not stop, even after warning. A chase at sea ensued for over two hours before the boat was stopped. The six Malagasy crew members resisted. During the police raid on the vessel, four of them were injured.
