More than 60 tonnes of cannabis were seized by French customs in 2020, up 15% from 2019, the government announced on Friday (January 29th) in a press release.
In total, the French customs services made 16,215 narcotics findings in 2020 (+ 1.39%).
In addition to cannabis, customs also seized 9.05 tonnes of cocaine (+ 2.8%) and 1,161 kg of synthetic drugs (+ 56%).
See also: Grand-Est: seizure of 590 kilos of cannabis resin, 5 people indicted
"
These results are all the more significant since they are obtained in a health context that we know,
" said Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, and Olivier Dussopt, Minister of Public Accounts, in their press release
.
"
Customs held on, redeployed their controls and staff so as not to leave the field open to criminal networks
".
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The importance of the quantities of herbal cannabis, in customs seizures, is one of the strong trends of the year 2020
", according to this press release.
They represented 62% of the volumes of cannabis seized in 2020 (37% in 2019) against 35% for resin (54% in 2019).
Read also: The giants of medical cannabis storming France
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Herbal cannabis, increasingly cultivated in Europe, is prized by drug users who have a more natural image of it.
It also has much higher THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, psychoactive substance) contents than a few years ago,
”according to this press release.
“
Criminal networks transport narcotics mainly by road (about 90%) for cannabis, by sea for cocaine (about 60%) and by express and postal freight for drugs from synthesis (about 65%)
”, it is also indicated.