The trial of 11 people caught in French Polynesia with more than a ton of cocaine on their yachts has started in Paris.
The ten men and one woman, who were detained in 2017, were originally due to be put on trial for drug trafficking in Tahiti.
Ranging from 27 to 78 in age, the suspects are from Spain, Italy, France, Portugal and Panama.
Marquesas Islands is a popular spot for yachts and also cruise ships Photo: Copyright: sorincolac / 123RF Stock Photo
They have been found working for the same South American drug cartel.
In early 2017, 629 kilograms of cocaine was found concealed on a yacht in the Marquesas Islands and just days later, another 810 kilograms were seized on a yacht in Tahiti.
Two months later, another shipment of more than 200 kilograms was intercepted in the Tuamotus.
The trial in Paris is expected to take four weeks.
In the past decade, there have been several huge cocaine seizures on yachts from the Americas bound for Australia.