197 Cannabis Plants Uprooted in Twin Forest Raids Across Mauritius
Anti-drug officers dismantled two illegal cannabis plantations in Beemanick and La Vigie forests on 13 November 2026, guided by police helicopter surveillance.
Mauritius anti-drug officers uprooted 197 cannabis plants across two forest locations on Friday 13 November 2026, in coordinated raids guided by the police helicopter squadron.
The Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit, known as the ADSU, carried out the first operation at around 11:50 in the morning in a forested area in the Beemanick region. Officers searched the area and uprooted 101 cannabis plants ranging from 60 centimetres to 1.10 metres in height.
Later that afternoon, at approximately 2:30, ADSU officers moved to a second forest site at La Vigie, where they uprooted a further 96 cannabis plants measuring between 75 centimetres and 1.20 metres tall.
The two sites combined yielded a total of 197 plants, all of which were seized and removed. No arrests have been made so far, and the identities of the cultivators responsible for both plantations remain unknown. An investigation is ongoing.
The ADSU is a specialist unit within the Mauritius Police Force dedicated to combating drug trafficking and smuggling. The involvement of the police helicopter squadron reflects an increasingly common tactic on the island, where aerial surveillance is used to detect illicit cultivation in remote or densely vegetated areas that are difficult to access on foot.
Beemanick is a rural locality in the Riviere du Rempart district in the north-east of Mauritius, while La Vigie is a forested area also in the northern part of the island. Both locations are typical of the kind of isolated woodland that drug cultivators use to avoid detection.
What this means: Cannabis cultivation remains illegal in Mauritius under the Dangerous Drugs Act, and growers face serious criminal penalties. Raids of this kind are part of an ongoing effort by Mauritian authorities to disrupt supply at its source, rather than focusing solely on street-level distribution. The fact that no arrests have been made suggests the plantations may have been abandoned or tended remotely, a pattern seen in previous forest seizures on the island.
Source: ION News
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ADSU in Mauritius?β
The ADSU, or Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit, is a specialist division of the Mauritius Police Force responsible for investigating and combating drug trafficking, cultivation and smuggling across the island.
Is cannabis cultivation illegal in Mauritius?β
Yes. Cannabis cultivation, possession and trafficking are illegal in Mauritius under the Dangerous Drugs Act. Offenders can face significant prison sentences depending on the quantity involved.
Where are Beemanick and La Vigie in Mauritius?β
Beemanick is a rural locality in the Riviere du Rempart district in the north-east of Mauritius. La Vigie is a forested area in the northern part of the island. Both locations are remote enough to have been used for illicit cannabis cultivation.
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