Dreamer Yacht Scandal: Thai Captain's Phone Cloned in Leak Probe

The phone of the Thai captain of the luxury yacht Dreamer has been cloned by the IT Unit of the Mauritius Police Force as part of a widening investigation into the leaking of sensitive information within the National Coast Guard.

Two police officers have already been arrested on suspicion of passing operational intelligence to the captain, allegedly allowing the Dreamer to evade or anticipate Coast Guard movements. The Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit, known by its French acronym ADSU, is now awaiting the full forensic report from the IT Unit before the investigation can move to its next phase.

Cloning a phone in a criminal investigation means creating an exact digital copy of its contents, including messages, call logs, contacts and application data, so that investigators can analyse communications without alerting the suspect or risking the destruction of evidence.

The Dreamer affair first came to light when the yacht attracted the attention of Mauritian authorities amid suspicions of drug trafficking. What has since emerged is a parallel concern: that individuals inside the security services were actively tipping off those on board, raising questions about corruption within the National Coast Guard, the body responsible for patrolling Mauritius's exclusive economic zone and coastal waters.

The National Coast Guard operates under the umbrella of the Mauritius Police Force and is tasked with maritime security, anti-smuggling operations and search and rescue. A leak of operational information within that unit would represent a serious breach, potentially compromising multiple ongoing surveillance operations beyond the Dreamer case alone.

The ADSU is Mauritius's specialist law enforcement unit dedicated to combating drug trafficking and smuggling. It regularly coordinates with the Coast Guard on maritime interdiction operations, which makes the alleged leak particularly damaging to the integrity of those joint efforts.

What this means: The cloning of the Thai captain's phone signals that investigators are building a detailed picture of communications between those on board the Dreamer and their alleged contacts inside the police. The two officers already arrested represent the visible tip of an inquiry that appears to be probing deeper into whether the corruption network extends further within Mauritius's maritime security apparatus. Until the IT Unit's forensic report is complete, the full scope of what was shared, and with whom, remains unclear. The outcome of this case could lead to significant reforms in how operational intelligence is handled within the Coast Guard and ADSU.

Source: Le Defi Media