PARIS, Nov 9 (Reuters) - France said on Monday it had launched a new G7-backed network linking major ports, customs services and international organisations in an effort to improve intelligence sharing and coordination against global drug trafficking routes.
• France formally launched the initiative during a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States) in Paris on November 9 to 10.
• The network, covering 14 ports, brings together G7 countries, Brazil, South Korea, major international ports and organisations including Interpol, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Maritime Organization and the World Customs Organization.
• "Through this international dimension, we can bolster the substantial efforts already being led by the Ministry of the Interior—and other relevant ministries—to tackle a problem that inflicts such deep harm upon our society," France's foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, said at a press conference.
• The network aims to improve cooperation against narcotics trafficking through major maritime hubs by targeting the entire supply chain, from production and transit countries to destination markets.
• The network intends to ease intelligence sharing, operational cooperation between ports and customs authorities, identification of trafficking routes, better detection of containers used by criminal organisations, and coordination between maritime, customs and law-enforcement agencies.
• A French government document said France had concluded more than 20 bilateral cooperation agreements on narcotics trafficking since late 2025 and increased specialised anti-drug personnel in Latin America and the Caribbean by more than 30% over the past year.
• France said cooperation with countries in North Africa and the Middle East led to the extradition of more than 20 individuals in 2025.
(Reporting by John Irish in Paris; Editing by Matthew Lewis)