The interior ministry in Ivory Coast said on Saturday that police had captured a record haul of more than 2 tonnes of pure cocaine with a street value of roughly 41 billion CFA francs ($67.7 million).
A police operation in the commercial hub Abidjan and the port city of San Pedro this month confiscated the cocaine from traffickers, according to a ministry statement.
The statement provided little information, but it did say that nine persons had been detained, including Ivorians and foreign foreigners, and that investigations were underway.
A tonne of cocaine was confiscated in one of Abidjan’s northern districts little over a year ago, setting a new record haul.
Major drug seizures are uncommon in Ivory Coast, although they are becoming more regular throughout the West African Atlantic Coast. Illegal substances are often transported via the area on their journey from South America to Europe.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, around 40 tonnes flow through the area each year.