Gambia charges 12 foreigners with drug trafficking; arrest led to seizure of 2 tons of cocaine

Gambia charges 12 linked to 2 tons of coke

BANJUL, Gambia — Gambia charged 12 foreigners on Wednesday whose arrest last month led to the seizure of two tons of cocaine stashed in warehouses in the West African country.

The 12, who include Dutch and Venezuelan nationals as well citizens of nearby African countries, were charged with drug possession and trafficking offenses related to the May seizure of more than three kilograms of cocaine, according to the charge sheet.

After that discovery, Gambia requested the help of British agents, according to a spokesman with the U.K.’s Serious Organized Crime Agency. Together, authorities tracked down the two tons seized Tuesday.

“As part of this partnership, we have forensically analyzed a number of positions that have been suspicious, and we have assisted Gambian authorities. Eventually this bundle was discovered,” said the spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.

The official said the seizure was “off the backs of SOCA analysis, off the back of the forensics.”

He said the wholesale value of the haul was about $145 million and declined to speculate on its retail value, which can vary significantly depending on the destination

The fragile states along Africa’s west coast have become major trafficking hubs for cocaine on its way from Latin American coca fields to the European market.

The coastline is dotted with small islands that are especially attractive to traffickers. Part of the two-ton haul was found on an island off Gambia’s coast, according to Abdoulie Ceesay, spokesman for the country’s National Drug Enforcement Agency. The rest was found in Bonto, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Banjul, the capital.

Associated Press writer Andrew Khouri in London contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS SUBS graf 7 to correct wholesale value of hault to $145 million)