More than 600 kilos of cannabis pollen were discovered in the middle of a load of sheep's wool transported by Spanish truck heading for Italy, the customs services announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The seizure of 612 kg of pollen pollen was carried out at the La Turbie motorway tollbooth (Alpes-Maritimes), on July 27.
During this check, the customs officers of the Menton brigade discovered that drugs were hidden in bulk bales of wool, official loading of the intercepted truck.
The 129 bundles of sheep's wool were destined for a spinning mill in Italy, according to the truck's transport document.
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Already known for similar events that took place in 2014 in another region, the driver, of Spanish nationality, was placed in pre-trial detention as part of the opening of a judicial investigation for “
drug trafficking
”.
Cannabis pollen, a finer material than cannabis resin or herb, also has a higher level of THC (the active substance of cannabis).
The value of this shipment represents, according to customs calculations, more than 6.120 million euros “
on the illicit drug market
”.
According to the regional customs directorate, 1.2 tonnes of narcotics were seized in 2021 by customs officers in the Alpes-Maritimes.
With this new entry, the 2022 balance sheet, at the end of July, already reached that of last year.
At the national level, French customs seized more than 115 tonnes of narcotics in 2021, which represents around 75% of the total seizures made in France.
