Four Mauritian suspected drug traffickers detained at Tsiafahy after attempting illegal entry into Madagascar are facing extradition proceedings. David Kingsley Chicot, 35, Ismaël Benjamin Yoël, 29, Jean David Legentil, 30, and Brian Bowanee, 30, are currently incarcerated at Tsiafahy prison and could be repatriated to Mauritius. They are suspected of drug trafficking.
The judicial police directorate (DPJ) indicates the procedure is moving toward possible extradition. Mauritian police, who arrived in the capital, have filed an official request awaiting response from Malagasy authorities, who must rule on the application of a mutual judicial assistance agreement.
On the night of July 19, the defendants attempted to enter Madagascar clandestinely via the Maharavo coastal area in Ambohitralanana commune, Antalaha district. Their speedboat, reportedly stolen and bearing no registration, broke apart on the reefs. Rescued by night fishermen, they claimed to be tourists from Réunion who arrived by car at Maharavo, but produced no documentation.
Sea searches recovered the sunken vessel, and Interpol confirmed their true identities. Local gendarmes transferred the case to the DPJ at Toby Ratsimandrava. The four were presented to prosecutors and held in preventive detention.
A Mauritian anti-drug unit team spent two weeks in Madagascar interrogating them about expedition financing, contacts, and the final destination of potential drug cargo. Legentil and Yoël were already facing cannabis trafficking charges estimated at nearly 375 billion ariary and had obtained bail in January 2025 in Mauritius. Their presence in Madagascar violates these conditions.
Bowanee was wanted. The speedboat, monitored since March, is central to Mauritian police investigations, who must trace its movements and identify those with access before the crossing.