France launches ports network to combat drug trafficking
The network brings together 14 ports and aims to help customs and port authorities share intelligence and identify routes and containers used by criminal organizations.
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The network brings together 14 ports and aims to help customs and port authorities share intelligence and identify routes and containers used by criminal organizations.
France launched the G7+ Ports Network to Combat Drug Trafficking on 9 November 2026, following a proposal at the G7 leaders’ summit in Évian in June. The leaders’ declaration identified maritime transport as the main route for international trafficking in drugs and precursor chemicals, which are used to make drugs.
France’s Foreign Ministry said the network was holding its first meeting in Marseille alongside the 9–10 November G7 foreign ministers’ gathering in Paris. The network brings together 14 ports, and the participating countries include Brazil and South Korea alongside the G7 nations, gCaptain said. The initiative also involves Interpol, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Maritime Organization and the World Customs Organization.
The network aims to improve intelligence sharing and cooperation between port and customs authorities and better identify shipping routes and containers exploited by criminal organizations. The planned work includes sharing practices, improving cooperation between law enforcement and port operators, and identifying weak points in international cargo supply chains. The initiative also calls for efforts to prevent criminals from infiltrating port authorities and private businesses, and for stronger financial investigations into drug-trafficking proceeds.
The network intends to coordinate with the European Ports Alliance and draw on the International Maritime Organization’s International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. That code is an amendment to the Safety of Life at Sea Convention and sets minimum security arrangements for ships, ports and government agencies, including responsibilities for detecting threats and taking preventive measures.
In an action plan released on 9 November, France’s government estimated that 70% of drugs entering Europe arrive by sea and through ports. It said it handled 20 requests in 2025 to board vessels suspected of drug trafficking on the high seas; those requests resulted in seizures of nearly 40 metric tons of narcotics, almost entirely cocaine.
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