The phone of the captain of the Thai yacht Dreamer may hold vital information on the alleged transshipment of 1,500 kilos of cannabis off the coast of Port-Louis and potential complicity within the National Coast Guard (NCG). According to several sources, the device contains images of the operation and message exchanges with alleged members of the coast guard. These communications reportedly concerned NCG patrol movements and outings.
An initial examination of the captain's phone revealed a photograph showing packages suspected to contain cannabis. Investigators are trying to establish the origin of this image, the nature of the packages photographed, and their possible link to the alleged deliveries. The data in the electronic devices could also help identify communications between the crew members and their local contacts.
The Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit (Adsu) is attempting to determine the exact nature of the information allegedly transmitted by two NCG officers and their possible connection to the alleged trafficking operations. According to several concordant sources, two boats arrived off Port-Louis on October 20 to recover around 1,500 kilos of cannabis transported by the Dreamer. The people who came to receive the cargo were reportedly armed.
The captain allegedly filmed the transshipment and kept the video as proof that the goods had been handed over to the recipients. Investigators are trying to determine if the two alleged cannabis deliveries are part of the same organization and identify the people who ensured the reception or distribution of the cargoes on Mauritian territory. After this alleged operation, the yacht attempted to leave Mauritius but ran out of fuel.
A member of the crew then left on one of the boats that had come to recover the cannabis to bring fuel back to the ship but never returned on board. The police later managed to find this man. The circumstances of his departure and the reasons for his absence remain to be established. According to information gathered, the Dreamer, flying the Thai flag, was in the vicinity of Port-Louis and Baie-du-Tombeau before October 23.
Several sources indicate that NCG members had been alerted to its presence and the fact that the yacht should not have been in that location. However, no verification was reportedly carried out. The reasons for the lack of intervention remain to be established. Investigators will have to examine patrol logs and operational communications to determine if information was transmitted to the alleged network and if it allowed the yacht to evade controls.
The NCG finally intervened on October 23, around 7 pm, to take charge of the Dreamer and tow it to the port. During the search, authorities discovered 38,000 euros and bahts, totaling around Rs 2.7 million, in a bag placed in a drawer. The captain's phone was also seized. The yacht was then placed under surveillance at Quai A in the port. Seven crew members were arrested following this intervention, and an eighth suspect was arrested on Tuesday at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport.
Key points
- The phone of the Dreamer captain contains crucial evidence on the alleged cannabis trafficking operation.
- Two NCG officers have been arrested on suspicion of complicity in the alleged trafficking operation.
- Investigators are trying to determine the role of each suspect and the circumstances of the alleged cannabis deliveries.
