Police investigating possible cocaine haul at Havannah

Vanuatu Police and the Australian Federal Police are investigating an abandoned yacht, believed to have contained two tons of cocaine, that was found drifting at Havannah Harbour in North Efate.

Police have been on the scene since early Thursday morning after the yacht was found lying on its side in the large harbour.

An eye witness who alerted Vanuatu Daily Post yesterday said, he went on the site to tow the yacht out of the harbour but was prevented by the police who were already carrying out investigations.

Police sources said they received the information about the boat a few days ago and were told it was wrecked on a reef in Havannah Harbour .

The finding of the yacht followed information police received a few weeks ago about 2 tons of cocaine which was allegedly dropped into the sea between Vanuatu and Fiji.

Police sources told the Daily Post that this happened during the recent bad weather involving a tropical depression which affected the country and Fiji.

Police have been searching the yacht to see if the suspected drug shipment is on board and whether it is the same drug that was dropped between Fiji and Vanuatu.

It is not the first time that drugs have been found on Vanuatu shores.

In 2024, Eton fishermen led police to what was at time the biggest drug haul in the country’s history.

They found 120 kilos of tightly-sealed cocaine buried in sand and handed it over to Vanuatu police and two Australian Federal police officers.

It was reported after that they also discovered that about eight kilograms of heroin had been stolen from this massive drug package found at Eton beach.

But so far, Vanuatu Police has not yet found who stole the eight kilos, if it existed.