[Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering] The FCC Tightens the Noose on the Baptiste Brothers and a Tyack Entrepreneur

A major operation by the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC), supported by the Mauritius Police Intervention Team (GIPM) and the Special Support Unit (SSU), led to the arrest of three suspects this week and the seizure of assets valued at over Rs 15 million. The case highlights ongoing suspicions of money laundering linked to drug trafficking.

On Tuesday morning, brothers Robby and Roddy Baptiste from Roche-Bois and Terre-Rouge, along with Mohammad Faraz Ibne Hoseny, director of F & Z Transport Ltd and resident of Tyack, were escorted to the FCC offices under armed guard. Investigators simultaneously conducted searches in several locations, including Roche-Bois, Rivière-des-Anguilles, and Cap-Malheureux. The seizures included a Suzuki Ertiga, two Aprilia motorcycles, a Toyota Corolla, a Mazda, two Toyota Hilux, a BMW X6, and a Ford Raptor. A house sitting on a 517 m² plot in Cap-Malheureux, valued at Rs 10 million, was also among the sealed assets.

When presented before the Rivière-du-Rempart District Court, the Baptiste brothers had their bail application denied. The FCC argued that their release could jeopardize the investigation. They remain in provisional detention under an initial charge of money laundering. In Souillac, however, the magistrate granted bail to Mohammad Faraz Ibne Hoseny. The businessman was required to post two Rs 500,000 bonds, sign a debt acknowledgment of Rs 30 million, and adhere to a series of restrictions: a curfew from 9 PM to 5 AM, a daily check-in at the police station, and a prohibition on contacting witnesses.

The FCC's investigations follow up on older cases. Robby Baptiste had already been arrested in 2021 by the Anti Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU) in Rose-Hill during a drug seizure at Karo-Kalyptis. As for Roddy Baptiste, he was arrested in 2019 after over one million rupees in cash and drug packaging materials were found at his home.

These findings reinforce the investigators' suspicions that the two brothers have amassed wealth disproportionate to their declared income. The FCC is also seeking to determine whether Faraz Hoseny’s transport company has served as a front for laundering operations.

While Faraz Hoseny continues to assert his innocence and claims to operate a legally registered company with the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA), investigators believe that his property and vehicle acquisitions far exceed his financial capacity.

The case, which sheds light on the hidden financial flows of drug trafficking, is far from closed. The three suspects will now have to justify the origins of their assets in court, while the FCC intensifies its efforts to dismantle laundering networks.