French navy seizes nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine off West African coast

French authorities say the "remarkable seizure" was found on board a fishing boat following a tip-off.

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Two French naval vessels operating as part of Operation Corymbe intercepted the enormous cocaine haul from an unflagged fishing vessel on Monday, acting on a tip-off from maritime intelligence, anti-drug authorities and the British National Crime Agency.

The Corymbe naval mission has been deployed by France in the Gulf of Guinea since 1990 to ensure security in an area where piracy is fairly common.

"9.6 tonnes of cocaine has been intercepted by two French ships," the French navy said.

It added that 54 tonnes of drugs had been intercepted in the area since the beginning of the year.