A network of arms traffickers in the Lyon region, suspected of breaking and entering several armories in France and Switzerland, was dismantled on Tuesday March 9 with 13 arrests in France and one in Portugal, French police announced on Friday.
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Eleven of the thirteen arrested in France (in the Rhône and Isère) are brought to justice this Friday in Lyon, two others to be summoned later.
The arrest in Portugal concerns a 30-year-old Frenchman, against whom a European arrest warrant had been issued, the same source added.
In September 2020, the Central Office dedicated to the fight against organized crime (OCLCO) and the Rhône research section were seized after an increase in burglaries of armories in France and Switzerland.
“
300 weapons (long guns and handguns) were thus stolen,
” the office said.
The investigation determined that the criminals were from the Lyon region and formed "
a team of drawers with a hard core and logistical help
".
The net took place on March 9 simultaneously in France and Portugal.
This investigation mobilized under the authority of the JIRS (interregional jurisdiction) of the Rhône, "
80 investigators, the gendarmes of the SR du Rhône, the Raid, the GIGN, the BRIs and a dog team.
», We said from a police source.
Seven long guns including a Kalashnikov, ammunition, narcotics, 240,000 euros and vehicles were notably seized during this operation.
The stolen weapons were intended for organized crime, drug traffickers and gangs in certain cities, only on national territory, it was added.