Cocaine trafficking: more than 90 kg seized in ten days by customs in New Aquitaine
Three operations carried out by customs at the end of September and the beginning of October resulted in the seizure of 91.6 kg of cocaine, representing nearly 3.7 million euros in market value for two of them.
Quick Look
- Between September 29 and October 7, 2026, customs seized 91.6 kg of cocaine hidden in caches set up under vehicles on routes linking Spain to France.
- Three people were arrested.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
French customs regularly carry out control operations on roads coming from the Iberian Peninsula.
Customs made three seizures of cocaine between September 29 and October 7, 2026, on roads linking Spain to the Bordeaux region or to Germany. 91.6 kg of cocaine were intercepted during these three interventions, bringing the total seized since the start of the year to 930 kg within the jurisdiction of the specialized interregional jurisdiction of Bordeaux.
In a press release dated Wednesday October 14, the Bordeaux public prosecutor details these three seizures. On September 29, at the Sames tollbooth, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Bayonne customs discovered 24,180 kg of cocaine, with an estimated value of 970,700 euros, in the vehicle of a 30-year-old Frenchman, already known for similar acts two years previously. It was transiting between Spain and the Bordeaux region.
On October 6, in Liposthey, in Landes, Arcachon customs seized 44,860 kg of cocaine, valued at 2,691,600 euros, in the vehicle driven by a 23-year-old French woman, unknown to the authorities. It also transited between Spain and the Bordeaux region. Finally, on October 7, in Castets, also in Landes, Dax customs intercepted 22,560 kg of cocaine in the vehicle of a 31-year-old Albanian driver, who was traveling between Spain and Germany. The press release does not specify the market value of this third seizure.
The Bordeaux public prosecutor specifies that “on three occasions, the drug, packaged in several loaves, was hidden in a cache set up in the floor of the vehicles checked”. The two French drivers, aged 30 and 23, were indicted and placed in pre-trial detention. The third driver, of Albanian nationality and aged 31, was sentenced on October 12 to three years' imprisonment, a 900,000 euro customs fine and a five-year ban on French territory.
The upcoming investigations “will aim to identify the different journeys potentially undertaken by these individuals, the complicity from which they benefited (…) and the final destination of the drugs”, indicates the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Continuing investigations to identify accomplices and final destination
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What is the final destination of the drugs?
- Who are the potential accomplices involved in this network?
