Branded watches, jewelry and luxury cars: the auction of 209 goods seized in the context of criminal proceedings on Wednesday in Marseille brought in 815,000 euros to the state, the organizers announced to AFP.
The auctions got off to a flying start with the first lot with a Rolex Master II Pepsi watch priced at 30,000 euros and sold for 54,000 euros.
First auctions organized in Marseille of criminal property
“
I am passionate about these watches
,” explained to AFP the buyer, a man in his thirties, black shirt and jeans, who wished to remain anonymous.
He says he borrowed the money from his bank, set a limit of 56,000 euros, and already has a customer ready to buy the much more expensive item from him.
"
You have made a deal
", launched him as a connoisseur Alain Caumeil, director of the National Directorate of State Interventions (Dnid) which organized the sale on behalf of the Agency for the Management and Recovery of Seized and Confiscated Assets ( Agrasc).
"
It's a republican and citizen sale
", launched the official by presenting these auctions to the some 200 people present in the great hall of the Palais du Pharo, a historic monument dominating the port of Marseilles lent for the occasion by the municipality.
In addition to luxury watches, coins, jewelry, fashion accessories, leather goods, works of art, perfumes, spirits and luxury vehicles were on sale, including several Porsches, Ferraris and a Mercedes convertible.
The starting value of the goods put up for auction was 650,000 euros.
One of the Ferraris was sold for 68,000 euros.
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These were the first auctions organized in Marseille of criminal assets, seized in three years on the Mediterranean arc, in particular from drug traffickers.
"
I wanted to set up the first branch of Agrasc in Marseille in March 2021 because it is an area unfortunately very affected by organized crime
", explained to AFP its general manager Nicolas Bessone, welcoming that 40 million euros have already been seized in this jurisdiction in just 18 months.
“
The flashiest possessions are often the preserve of narcotics traffickers who like outward signs of wealth.
When you have cases of cash, you have to spend them well
, ”he says.
The money collected will make it possible "
to supplement the general budget of the State but also to provide the means to the investigative services and to compensate victims as a priority
", added Nicolas Bessone.
On the strength of this success, Agrasc, which still makes 45% of its seizures in the Paris region, has already created four branches, in Marseille, Lyon, Rennes and Lille, and plans to open three others in the spring in Fort-de-France, Nancy and Bordeaux.