Bénin’s resolute stance against organized crime was powerfully demonstrated with a large-scale operation on Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Ahozon, located within the Ouidah commune. The National Agency for the Recovery of Confiscated and Seized Assets (Anracs) oversaw the public incineration of substantial quantities of narcotics and psychotropic substances that had been seized across the national territory.
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Among the illicit products reduced to ashes were 95 kilograms of cocaine, which had been intercepted just a month prior at the Autonomous Port of Cotonou. This crucial operation, carried out at the site of the Waste Management and Sanitation Company (SGDS), proceeded under the strict supervision of judicial authorities. Magistrates, senior representatives from the Ministry of Justice, along with detachments from the Republican Police and the Beninese Armed Forces, were all present to ensure regulatory compliance and transparency.
A significant port seizure definitively neutralized
According to Raynier Florent Gnansomon, the Director General of Anracs, these illegal substances originated from various enforcement actions conducted as part of the national strategy to dismantle drug trafficking networks.
The most substantial component of this incineration was the 95 kilograms of pure cocaine. This particular shipment had been intercepted in mid-May 2026 at the Autonomous Port of Cotonou. The Special Unit of River and Maritime Police (USPFM) conducted a targeted surveillance operation, leading to the discovery of five bales of the drug ingeniously concealed within the strainer of a foreign-flagged container ship. Following the seizure, the case was transferred to the Central Office for the Repression of Illicit Drug and Precursor Trafficking (Ocertid) for in-depth investigation.
Cannabis and psychotropic substances also incinerated
Beyond the significant cocaine haul, Anracs also oversaw the destruction of large stockpiles of cannabis and a considerable quantity of psychotropic products. These materials were confiscated during recent judicial proceedings.
The agency emphasized that this systematic destruction serves a dual purpose: to rigorously enforce court decisions and to permanently eliminate any potential risk of these dangerous products re-entering local or international criminal supply chains.
A regulatory, high-security operation
The transportation, securing of the Ahozon site, and monitoring of the combustion process were entrusted to an impressive joint force of military and police personnel.
“Their destruction constitutes one of our prerogatives,” affirmed Raynier Florent Gnansomon. He highlighted that Anracs is thus fulfilling its legal mandate for the management and liquidation of assets seized in connection with transnational crime. By being permanently removed from judicial custody and incinerated, these toxic products symbolize the successful conclusion of numerous procedures aimed at dismantling mafia networks across Bénin.
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