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On December 6 in Saint Barthélemy, Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin chaired a meeting dedicated to the fight against drug trafficking in the Caribbean basin. This high-level gathering brought together magistrates, gendarmerie commanders, and customs officials. A few weeks later, a field study published by the French Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) directly concerns the islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy. It highlights the specific characteristics of the two territories in terms of trafficking and consumption.
"Logistics specialists"
Saint Martin is presented as "a link in the cocaine trafficking logistics chain between South American producing countries and Europe." Smugglers find an air route there that allows them to circumvent the tightened controls in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique, the study explains. Saint Martin's "strategic role" in trafficking, particularly cocaine, is therefore highlighted. With "traffickers considered to be logistics specialists," according to a representative of the gendarmerie.
Cannabis use is described as "relatively common" on both islands. Unsurprisingly, the authors of the study noted a "significant presence" of cocaine. "In Saint Martin, the price per gram recorded at the time of the survey was between €15 and €20, which is about three times lower than the price observed in mainland France in 2023, between €50 and €60," it is indicated. In Saint Barthélemy, users report prices ranging from €20 to €50 per gram, with differences depending on the buyer's profile and their relationship with the dealer."
All social classes affected
In Saint Barth, the "party culture" and the small size of the island facilitate connections between sellers and consumers. Those interviewed for the study describe consumption as "widespread" and easily accessible. They noted a "normalization of cocaine use" that is reinforced by the "heterogeneity" of the people involved: from tourists to seasonal workers to permanent residents. One healthcare professional said: "What I've realized over the past ten years is that we see everything [in our healthcare service]. That means people from all social classes, whether they're architects, business leaders, restaurant workers, or chefs. Construction workers too."
The authors of the study obviously look at the reasons that lead to consumption. "In professional sectors that make extensive use of seasonal workers, cocaine use is reinforced by the central place of partying in everyday professional life," they explain. It then becomes difficult for young workers in constant interaction to avoid it, especially since alcohol consumption and its disinhibiting effect can be factors in consumption, in a context where use is sometimes linked to integration within a group." A "shift towards daily use" is one of the consequences reported. On the other hand, the study only hints at tourism-related consumption. This is undoubtedly due to the difficulty in gathering testimonials.
In any case, while Saint Martin is described as "a central element of the transatlantic network to Europe," Saint Barthélemy "is positioned more as a destination island for substances."
In Saint Barth, the study highlights the fact that addiction treatment services "rely entirely on the facilities established in Saint Martin." Although the CSAPA (addiction treatment, support, and prevention center) and the medical-psychological center (CMP) in Saint Martin offer on-call services and outreach programs in Saint Barth, there is no dedicated full-time facility on the island. This complicates the work of social and medical-social workers.
Read the full OFDT report.
