Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, May 31, 2026

Missing Seychellois linked to drug network in Iran, shared intel shows

Missing Seychellois linked to drug network in Iran, shared intel shows

Some missing persons in Seychelles are linked to a drug trafficking network involving Iran, according to intelligence shared by a friendly country, President Danny Faure said in a live press conference on Thursday.
"We have concrete information today that certain Seychellois boats are in the drug fetching business with boats from Iran. The intelligence information revealed that Seychellois have boarded the Iranian boats and those Seychellois are today in Iran," said Faure.

He said those Seychellois will only be released when the money for the drugs is paid, and he called on anyone including family who may be in contact with associated Iranians to notify the police force. Faure did not say which nation shard the intelligence information.

Faure answered questions from reporters on various subjects in what he said was his last live news conference because of the upcoming political campaign ahead of presidential elections in October.

Elsewhere, the President said policies are being set to help create job opportunities for Seychellois.

"The decision taken recently with regards to foreign workers with GOP (Gainful Occupation Permit) currently abroad has to do with our present employment situation. Our priority today is to ensure that Seychellois gets a job," he said.

Gainful Occupation Permits (GOPs) of foreign workers in Seychelles currently out of the country were revoked with immediate effect beginning of August and companies that need the employees back have to go through a new process.

There are 16,000 people in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, being assisted financially, according to the information given by the Ministry of Finance for the month of May.

Faure said that this includes young people who are being assisted through various schemes which comprise of an internship programme, My First Job, skills development and the Unemployment Relief Scheme (URS).

On the economic situation of the country after the re-opening of the airport on Aug. 1, the President said that the figures he has received is 1,592 visitors have come to Seychelles but hopes that it will pick up in September and October.

He added that the decision to reopen the airport was taken after looking at Europe where Seychelles' main tourist markets are, namely France, Italy and Germany, but last week the situation changed.

"COVID is still upsetting France and we had to remove the country from our permitted list. While we are reopening for tourists the situation in those countries are not improving," said Faure.

On the question on cohabitation between the executive from one party and an opposition majority in the legislative, Faure said that Seychelles witnessed an interesting time in the last four and half years. After the legislative elections in September 2016, the opposition coalition, Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) won the majority seats in the National Assembly.

"The work that the Assembly did allow checks and balances as required by the Constitution and government acted and worked... But at the same time, there has been abuse and one of them is that the government also became a victim," said Faure.

On his priority for the coming two months, Faure said he will "make sure that Seychellois behave as responsible citizens for us to have an election that takes place in peace and stability."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
Global Critical Mineral Alliances Expand as Western Nations Move to Counter Chinese Supply Dominance
United States Imposes Fifty Percent Tariffs on Mexican Steel and Aluminum Ahead of Trade Pact Review
European Union and China Head Toward Major Trade Conflict Over Clean Technology Exports
United States Economic Growth Severely Downgraded to One Point Six Percent as Stagflation Fears Mount
World Health Organization Warns Central African Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Containment Efforts
United States Treasury Department Conditions Sanctions Relief on Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Air Defenses Intercept and Destroy United States Military Drone Over Bushehr Province
Iranian Armed Forces Launch Ballistic Missiles Toward Unspecified Targets Prompting Regional Condemnation
United Nations Secretary-General Warns Global Order Facing Highest Level of Conflict Since 1945
Israel Issues Sweeping Evacuation Orders in Southern Lebanon Amid Intensified Hezbollah Conflict
Russia Announces Systemic Military Strikes Targeting Ukrainian Defense and Energy Infrastructure
United States and Iranian Negotiators Reach Draft Agreement to Extend Ceasefire and Resume Nuclear Talks
United Nations Security Council Deeply Divided Over United States Capture of Venezuelan President
US and Iran Exchange Direct Military Strikes Amid Fragile Gulf Ceasefire
World Health Organization Warns of Catastrophic Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo
Russia Threatens New Wave of Strikes on Ukrainian Infrastructure and Embassies
Scientists Warn Atlantic Ocean Currents Could Collapse Faster Than Projected
Anthropic Reaches $900 Billion Valuation in Historic AI Funding Round
Washington Imposes Crippling Sanctions on Iranian Maritime Authority
Japan and the Philippines Initiate Strategic Intelligence-Sharing Pact
Microsoft Deploys Autonomous Computer-Using AI Agents to Global Markets
Anthropic Secures $45 Billion Compute Infrastructure Agreement With SpaceX
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Resigns Amid Administration Shakeup
Micron Technology Crosses Trillion-Dollar Valuation Amid Unprecedented Hardware Demand
Canada and Germany Finalize Historic Long-Term LNG Export Agreement
China Expands International Travel Restrictions on Domestic AI Researchers
Japan Approves Sweeping Overhaul of National Intelligence Apparatus
Global Airlines Scramble Logistics as Middle East Airspace Remains Fractured
Japan's Naphtha Imports Plunge 47 Percent Amid Strait of Hormuz Closure
Global Crude Prices Retreat Below $96 as Gulf Tensions Momentarily Ease
Generative AI Outperforms Human Baselines in Landmark Global Creativity Study
NASA Partners With Private Aerospace to Unveil Permanent Lunar Base Architecture
South Korean Equity Markets Surge on Next-Generation Memory Chip Frenzy
×