A record amount of cocaine, 2.5 tonnes, was seized off the coast of New Caledonia from a ship bound for Australia, New Zealand media reported on Wednesday.
The operation was carried out last week by a French naval patrol vessel approximately 400 nautical miles off Noumea, with the support of a French Navy Falcon Jet Gardian reconnaissance aircraft.
The cocaine was reportedly found on the Panamanian-flagged vessel SM Dante, which left Peru in May and was bound for Australia. Seven crew members were arrested, including two from Portugal and five from Ecuador.
Since 2012, French authorities have intercepted six vessels carrying drugs, mainly cocaine, and the latest operation broke the previous record of 578 kg of cocaine seized in October 2017.
Last month, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that Australia and New Zealand have the highest levels of cocaine consumption in the world. New Zealand and Australia also recorded the highest rates of ecstasy consumption in the world.
