A "major" seizure: 2.5 tonnes of cannabis from Senegal seized in Le Havre

"This seizure is more than six times greater than the volume of cannabis seized by sea over the whole of 2025," a customs statement said.

Customs officers seized 2.5 tons of cannabis resin hidden in metal crates inside a shipping container transiting through the port of Le Havre at the end of June, a "major" seizure with an estimated value of around 20 million euros, customs officials announced Friday. "This seizure is more than six times greater than the volume of cannabis seized by sea in all of 2025," during which customs officers seized more than 67 tons of cannabis, according to a press release.

It was the container's "atypical route" that raised the agents' suspicions: originating in Senegal, it was bound for Libya and was carrying "machine tools." Images obtained during a scanner inspection revealed "anomalies consistent with the presence of goods concealed in specially designed hiding places," the statement continued.

An estimated value of over 20 million euros

Upon opening the container, customs officers discovered machine tools weighing two tons each, "mounted on imposing metal crates" which they suspected might contain hidden compartments holding "the suspicious items," the statement explained. This was followed by several hours of dismantling "with angle grinders, in the sweltering heat" to access the hidden compartments where the drugs, estimated to be worth nearly €20.5 million according to customs officials, were located.

Customs officials noted that "maritime transport (0.6%) is rare for cannabis seizures," with "primarily transported by land (74.8%) and mail (15%)." In early July, Minister of Public Accounts David Amiel announced a major €419 million "customs plan" to address the "surge" of drugs, particularly cocaine, promising new hires and the deployment of 25 additional scanners across the country by 2030.