Article source: "Les saisies de stupéfiants ont encore augmenté à La Réunion en 2024", SG/LF, Réunion la 1ere, France Info, 16/01/2025
Cocaine seizures in mainland France reached a record high in 2024, with 47 metric tonnes of the drug confiscated by authorities. Now, in the wake of a report revealing that over a million French people admit to having used cocaine in 2023, the overseas territory of Réunion is facing up to a similar reality.
With global cocaine production at an all-time high, what the authorities are calling a “white tsunami” has now reached the island in the Indian Ocean. The “exponential” increase in quantities seized in Réunion in 2024 is a clear indication of the scale of the phenomenon.
"White Tsunami"
“Since the end of the health crisis, we've seen a constant increase in drug seizures, particularly in hard drugs,” says Nicolas Le Gall, the director of French customs in Réunion, “it’s the case for cocaine and designer drugs, as well as seizures of cannabis resin which are increasing significantly.”
More than 50kg of cocaine was confiscated in 2024, compared to 30kg in 2023 and 16 in 2022. Similar increases have been seen in ecstasy seizures, with 172,000 pills seized in 2024 compared to 76,000 in 2023. As for cannabis resin, seizures leapt from 196kg in 2023 to over 500 in 2024.
Not For Export
The increase in seizures appears to reflect an increase in local consumption, as the drugs arriving in Réunion are not intended for export.
"Where cocaine is concerned, it’s a worldwide phenomenon, a ‘white tsunami’ which is also affecting Réunion,” Le Gall continues, “the consumption of these kinds of products is increasing significantly, even though quantities might seem quite small compared to mainland France".
Drug Mules
Alongside an increase in the use of postal freight, the phenomenon of “drug mules” phenomenon is on the rise, with 23 individuals arrested in 2024, including 11 ‘body packers’. In comparison, there were 21 arrests in 2023, of which 7 had swallowed drug packages..
It is increasingly common for mules to be young people, sometimes even minors, as a recent case highlighted. “The [age] profiles are changing, and that's quite worrying,” says Le Gall.
On Monday 13 January, three young women were arrested at Roland Garros Airport, as they disembarked a plane. They were carrying two kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of MDMA and thirty kilograms of cannabis resin, with a total street value of nearly one million euros.
New Mobile Scanner
For the moment smuggling by sea appears to be quite limited in Réunion, but custom officials are also improving their inspection methods in this area. “In 2025, we will be equipped with a mobile scanner that will allow us to check containers and deal with alerts much more quickly,” warns the director.
The significant rise in drug seizures, especially of cocaine, is a growing concern for health authorities in Réunion. In 2024, they launched a local campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of cocaine use.
"Serious Addiction Problems"
“The use of this drug has become common,” warns Dr David Mété, head of the addiction service at the main teaching hospital in Réunion, “we need to alert the public to the fact that it can lead to serious addiction problems, with difficult withdrawal procedures. We fear the use of cocaine and crack might become widespread like it has in the Caribbean. We have the kind of difficult social conditions that could enable this kind of drug use to take hold and cause even more significant social harm."
The use of these substances is also associated with a risk of disease transmission when users share utensils, such as straws and pipes
Translated by Clémentine Raud, Morgane Berthet-Bondet and Mathieu Minot.
Editing by Sam Trainor.