Hundreds of people have searched beaches along France’s Aquitaine coast after an alleged 15-tonne cocaine shipment was reported to have spilled into the sea, prompting a major police operation across an 80km stretch of coastline.
People on quad bikes and motorbikes were seen arriving overnight with torches as word spread along the Gironde and Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Some reportedly spent days searching for packages they hoped to sell.
Police have been monitoring the coastline since Tuesday, while beaches in Le Porge, in the Gironde, were closed indefinitely after CCTV recorded what appeared to be about 200 lights around the beach during the night.
Investigators have yet to find any of the drugs and have not ruled out the possibility that the reports are false. The precise location of the alleged spill is also unclear.
Local reports suggested a deal in the Bay of Biscay between a ship and a smaller boat had gone wrong, leaving the shipment in the water.
One woman, Leina, said she had spent four days searching almost the entire coast. “What motivates me is simply money. I can rebuild my life, buy a house, a car… I’m going to be 30, after a while you have to move forward,” she said.
She added: “It’s not with €100 (£83) per day that I’m going to advance anywhere. So I’m looking for the treasure like everyone else.”
Another searcher, identified as Guillaume, said he recognised the risks but felt the prospect of making money outweighed them. “It’s dangerous indeed, but life is hard, so it doesn’t matter if we don’t do things legally. What we want is just the money, to get by a little,” he said.
Masked men were filmed near the beaches of Biscarrosse, in Landes, but fled after drones appeared overhead, according to footage broadcast by TF1.
Xavier Labrouche, head of the Vieux-Boucau municipal police, said officers had noticed “a rather unusual number of people out at night for this time of year”. Several people have been fined after allegedly trying to enter a military-controlled site in Landes.
Under French law, unlawful transport, possession, acquisition, supply and use of narcotics can carry a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a fine of €7.5 million (£6.25 million).
