A legal gray area has emerged over who will investigate a suspected drug smuggling vessel carrying around five tonnes of cocaine bound for Australia.
The ship, with 11 Honduran and Ecuadorian nationals on board, was intercepted by French forces two weeks ago in international waters near French Polynesia.
Authorities have not disclosed the amount of cocaine seized, but experts say it has a street value of $1.5 billion in Australia.
French Polynesia’s President Moetai Brothersson confirmed to the ABC that authorities had dumped the cargo at sea.
“Dumping all the product into the ocean is a big loss for the drug dealers,” he says.
French Polynesia’s armed forces, the National Gendarmerie, and the local branch of the Drug Enforcement Administration were involved in the interception. (Facebook: Haut-commissaire de la République en Polynésie française)
But he said the crew could not be prosecuted on French territory because of overcrowded prisons.
Ship — MV Raider — The crew was then allowed to set sail without opposition.
It remains unclear whether the crew will be investigated and which jurisdiction will be responsible.
Mr Brotherson said those on board would “probably” end up going to court.
Moetai Brotherson, President of French Polynesia (Supplied)
“It is not our mission to house all these drug smugglers because our prisons already have several crew members from ships that were transporting drugs that are currently crowded,” he said.
“So we leave it to the country of origin or destination.”
Who is responsible for that?
The MV Raider is reported to be anchored at Abatiu Port in the Cook Islands after entering Rarotonga waters following a distress call for engine repairs.
Cook Islands Customs said border officials searched the ship after it arrived on January 24, but “nothing was found.”
The captain and crew were also questioned.
After receiving a distress call, the MV Raider entered Rarotonga waters and berthed at Abatiu International Safety Port. (cook islands news)
Mr Brotherson said the interception of the ship by French Polynesia took place outside its exclusive economic zone, meaning it was an international matter.
“It’s not a question of liability. It’s a question of prosecution, and who wants to prosecute those people,” he said.
”International cooperation continues between police and customs authorities across the Pacific, with all information regarding the ship being passed on to police forces across the Pacific. ”
The Australian Federal Police declined to comment on whether it was pursuing the vessel or planning to make any arrests.
The MV Raider is not the only suspected drug vessel released by French authorities in the past two weeks.
The French Navy announced on Wednesday that it had seized an additional 4.25 tons of cocaine from a second ship near French Polynesia.
The French High Commission for the island territory said the ship was believed to have been heading from Central America to South America.
French authorities seized 4.24 tonnes of cocaine in French Polynesia on February 2nd. (Facebook: French Navy)
However, just like the first ship bound for Australia, the cargo was destroyed at sea and the ship and crew were freed.
Officials told AFP that prosecutors did not file charges to avoid burdening local courts with drug trafficking cases not based in French Polynesia.
Meanwhile, in Fiji, 11 people were charged after the suspect was arrested. $780 million worth of cocaine Last month in the western part of the country.
Unprecedented amount of drugs flowing through the Pacific
Steve Simon, chair of New Zealand’s Ministerial Advisory Group on Transnational Serious Organized Crime, said the amount of drugs flowing through the Pacific Ocean on its way to Australia and New Zealand was unprecedented.
“Previously drugs were transported through Asia, but now there is a new entry point from the Americas through the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand and Australia,” he said.
“For example, in New Zealand, customs officers stopped the same amount of methamphetamine in all of 2014 as they did every week last year.”
According to Fiji Police, the cocaine was transported in a parcel weighing 2.6 tonnes. (Facebook: Fiji Police)
Mr Simon said the willingness to pay high prices for recreational drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamines was driving demand in Australia and New Zealand.
In these lucrative markets, Pacific countries serve as transit points for smugglers, who export large quantities from Central and South America, he said.
The vast distances involved make it a complex challenge for law enforcement to deal with, as it is often unclear where jurisdiction ends and where jurisdiction begins.
Steve Simon says coordination is needed to effectively tackle this issue. (Supplied)
“We have police and customs contacts, but what we lack is the cohesiveness to come together and come up with a plan,” Simon said.
”There are many cooks in the kitchen, and it is unclear who is cooking what kind of food.”
The amount of drugs coming through the Pacific has led to increased use and addiction in the island states, and Mr Brotherson said the effects could be seen on the ground as well.
“When you have drug-addicted workers, productivity goes down, and you get drug addicts who steal from their families and become delinquent. That’s a problem,” he said.
“here [in French Polynesia] They inhale this poison, and in Fiji they use needles, which has led to an increase in HIV and other infectious diseases. ”
ABC/AFP