<p>Paris: French authorities seized 10 tonnes of cocaine in the port of Dunkirk over the weekend, a source in the Paris prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.</p><p>French media reported that the haul was the biggest-ever in metropolitan France, corresponding to nearly a fifth of all cocaine seized last year. The prosecutor declined to comment on this and gave no further details.</p><p>French media Actu 17 reported that the drugs were hidden in containers and have an estimated market value of about 320 million euros ($339 million) or nearly Rs 3,000 crore. Local daily <em>La Voix du Nord</em> reported that the shipment originated in South America.</p>.Seventy drug smugglers held as part of anti-drug drive in Punjab.<p>In February, the interior ministry said 53.5 tonnes of cocaine had been seized in France in 2024, a 130 per cent increase on the 23.2 tonnes seized in 2023.</p><p>Cannabis seizures in France fell by 19 per cent to 101 tonnes in 2024, from 124.7 tonnes in 2023, interior ministry data show.</p><p>Cocaine, after cannabis, is the second-most commonly used illicit drug in Europe, according to European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA).</p><p>In 2022, EU member states reported 84,000 cocaine seizures, amounting to 323 tonnes - a record for a sixth year - and up from 303 tonnes in 2021, according to the EUDA 2024 report</p><p>Three European countries made up 68 per cent of the total quantity seized: Belgium with 111 tonnes, the Netherlands with 51.5 tonnes and Spain with 58.3 tonnes, reflecting their importance as entry points for cocaine trafficked to Europe.</p>
<p>Paris: French authorities seized 10 tonnes of cocaine in the port of Dunkirk over the weekend, a source in the Paris prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.</p><p>French media reported that the haul was the biggest-ever in metropolitan France, corresponding to nearly a fifth of all cocaine seized last year. The prosecutor declined to comment on this and gave no further details.</p><p>French media Actu 17 reported that the drugs were hidden in containers and have an estimated market value of about 320 million euros ($339 million) or nearly Rs 3,000 crore. Local daily <em>La Voix du Nord</em> reported that the shipment originated in South America.</p>.Seventy drug smugglers held as part of anti-drug drive in Punjab.<p>In February, the interior ministry said 53.5 tonnes of cocaine had been seized in France in 2024, a 130 per cent increase on the 23.2 tonnes seized in 2023.</p><p>Cannabis seizures in France fell by 19 per cent to 101 tonnes in 2024, from 124.7 tonnes in 2023, interior ministry data show.</p><p>Cocaine, after cannabis, is the second-most commonly used illicit drug in Europe, according to European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA).</p><p>In 2022, EU member states reported 84,000 cocaine seizures, amounting to 323 tonnes - a record for a sixth year - and up from 303 tonnes in 2021, according to the EUDA 2024 report</p><p>Three European countries made up 68 per cent of the total quantity seized: Belgium with 111 tonnes, the Netherlands with 51.5 tonnes and Spain with 58.3 tonnes, reflecting their importance as entry points for cocaine trafficked to Europe.</p>