Bénin cracks down on drug trafficking with major narcotics burn in Ouidah

The Bénin authorities demonstrated unwavering commitment to combating organized crime on Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Ahozon, a district within the Ouidah municipality. The National Agency for Recovery of Confiscated and Seized Assets (Anracs) orchestrated a public incineration of significant quantities of narcotics and psychotropic substances intercepted nationwide.

The operation unfolded at the premises of the Waste Management and Sanitation Company (SGDS), under the watchful eyes of judicial authorities, including magistrates, senior officials from the Ministry of Justice, and elite units from the Republican Police and Bénin Armed Forces.

Major port seizure permanently neutralized

Among the substances reduced to ashes were 95 kilograms of pure cocaine intercepted a month earlier at the Port of Cotonou. The incineration ceremony marked the definitive elimination of this high-profile seizure, executed with meticulous oversight to prevent any reintroduction into illicit markets.

Raynier Florent Gnansomon, Director-General of Anracs, confirmed that these substances originated from multiple operations targeting transnational drug trafficking networks. The cocaine shipment, the most substantial in this destruction, was discovered in mid-May 2026 during a targeted surveillance operation by the Special River and Maritime Police Unit (USPFM). Elite agents uncovered five concealed drug bundles ingeniously hidden within the strainer of a foreign-flagged container ship before transferring the case to the Central Office for the Repression of Illicit Drug and Precursor Trafficking (Ocertid) for further investigation.

Cannabis and psychotropics also destroyed

Beyond cocaine, Anracs systematically incinerated large quantities of cannabis and psychotropic substances confiscated during recent judicial proceedings. The agency emphasized that this systematic destruction serves a dual purpose: enforcing court decisions while eliminating any potential for these hazardous materials to re-enter either local or international criminal networks.

High-security regulatory framework in place

The transportation, site security at Ahozon, and the incineration process itself were managed by a robust joint task force comprising military and police personnel. « This destruction represents one of our core legal mandates, » declared Raynier Florent Gnansomon. He underscored Anracs’ pivotal role in liquidating seized assets linked to transnational crime, ensuring these toxic substances are permanently removed from judicial custody and rendered harmless.