A French Navy ship seized more than six tons of cocaine on Saturday from a fishing vessel off the African coast, the Atlantic maritime prefecture said in a statement Sunday.

The operation took place on a fishing vessel about twenty meters long and registered in Guyana, on Saturday, March 15, off the African coast, in the Gulf of Guinea.

"In total, 6,386 kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of nearly 371 million euros, was seized on board the fishing boat, then transferred to the vessel (navy, editor's note), to be destroyed in accordance with the decision taken by the Brest prosecutor's office," the maritime prefecture stated in its press release.

Under the direction of the Maritime Prefect of the Atlantic and the Public Prosecutor of Brest, the seizure took place at the request of the Anti-Narcotics Office (OFAST), following information transmitted by their partners at the MAOC-N (international maritime intelligence gathering structure), the British Anti-Crime Agency (NCA) and the American federal agency responsible for combating drug trafficking (DEA).

"The French Navy's helicopter carrier inspection team, supported by two Dauphin and Cougar helicopters and a unit drone," were deployed, the statement detailed.

The French Navy deploys one or two ships supported by a maritime patrol aircraft almost permanently in the Gulf of Guinea as part of Operation Corymbe.

This "exceptional result" illustrates "the effectiveness of the French State's action at sea in the context of protecting external borders and the fight against organized crime," according to the maritime prefecture.

Guyana welcomed the French operation, stressing that it had given "authorization" to the French "to board the ship" on Saturday in a statement released on Sunday.

According to the text, "the ship's crew (was) composed of a Colombian, a Dominican and four Guyanese nationals."

"Guyana reaffirms its commitment to strengthening international cooperation in the fight against transnational organized crime, particularly drug trafficking," the statement concluded.