Maritime treaty signed to close gaps used by Drug Traffickers Around St. Maarten & St. Martin

COLE BAY--A new treaty signed Tuesday at the Cole Bay Police Station strengthens maritime cooperation between St. Maarten and Saint-Martin, giving Dutch and French authorities clearer legal authority to continue cross-border pursuit during counter-drug operations in surrounding waters.

The agreement, titled “Hot Pursuit during Maritime Counter Drug Operations in the Vicinity of Saint Martin and Sint Maarten,” was signed by Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina on behalf of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and French Minister of Overseas Territories Naïma Moutchou on behalf of the French Republic. Present for the ceremony were Governor Ajamu Baly, Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling, Prefect Cyrille Le Vély, President of the Collectivité of Saint-Martin Louis Mussington, and other invited guests.

In remarks at the ceremony, Prime Minister Mercelina said the treaty reflects the need for close cooperation on an island shared by two nations. He said the agreement sends a strong message of trust, cooperation, and shared responsibility in addressing cross-border crime.

Mercelina said the treaty gives the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard and the French maritime authorities the legal tools needed to pursue vessels involved in illegal activity across maritime boundaries when required. He said the agreement will make it harder for traffickers to exploit jurisdictional limits and will improve the ability of law enforcement to prevent, investigate, and prosecute maritime crimes, especially drug trafficking.

He also stressed that drug trafficking is not only a maritime issue, but one that affects the wider community, threatening youth, destabilizing neighborhoods, and undermining public safety. According to the Prime Minister, the treaty closes procedural gaps that criminals have tried to use in the past.

Justice Minister Nathalie Tackling opened the ceremony by highlighting the long history of cooperation between the French and Dutch sides of the island. She noted that the new treaty extends that spirit of cooperation into the maritime domain, where criminal networks have at times taken advantage of legal boundaries. She also thanked the professionals and institutions who worked behind the scenes to bring the agreement to fruition, including the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard and French maritime authorities.

The treaty establishes a legal framework for maritime cooperation between both sides, including the ability to continue surveillance and pursuit into each other’s territorial waters during operations, as well as the exchange of operational information related to drug trafficking and other forms of cross-border smuggling. The release notes that the region remains a transit point for narcotics and weapons moving from South America to North America and Europe, making close coordination and rapid interception essential.

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