New Caledonia Busts a "Mother Ship" Used for Cigarette Smuggling

Containers of contraband and a four-engined go-fast boat in the hold of the Kokoo (ABF) — Containers of contraband and a four-outboard go-fast boat in the hold of the Kokoo (ABF)

French customs officers have seized their largest ever contraband tobacco cargo in New Caledonia, equal to a years' worth of regional consumption in the French overseas territory.

Last Wednesday, the Noumea Customs Brigade boarded and searched the Tanzanian-flagged bulker Kokoo, which had arrived in Noumea after loitering suspiciously for an extended period off the coast of Australia. The agents discovered five containers in one of the bulker's holds, filled with 76 tonnes of contraband cigarettes.

The agents also found two go-fast speedboats stowed aboard the ship, each fitted with four 300-horsepower outboards - a powerful arrangement typical of smuggling operations. The bulker was also carrying a tank of 10,000 liters of gasoline to supply the boats, which would not be necessary if the small launches were merely part of the cargo.

Customs agents suspect that the Kokoo had been set up as a "mother ship" for running illegal cigarettes to shore using the speedboats. The scale and sophistication of the scheme suggests organized crime, according to the Australian Border Force, which helped with the sting.

The vessel's master was arrested and presented to the Noumea Criminal Court. In short order, the court sentenced him to a suspended prison sentence of 10 months, a fine of $350,000 and confiscation of the entire cigarette cargo, along with the speedboats. The value of the seized tobacco is estimated to be about $35 million on the legal market.

Images courtesy ABF

The ABF believes that the cigarettes were intended for the Australian market, based on the brand markings on the packages.

The investigation began long before the Kokoo was boarded. The ABF tracked and monitored it as it approached and loitered near the Australian coast, then informed authorities in New Caledonia when the bulker changed course. French armed forces and intelligence units in New Caledonia tracked the vessel in advance, and the port authority in Noumea facilitated the boarding.