Le Figaro Lyon
Big week for the stups Lyonnais. The judicial police announced that they had seized nearly 910 kilos of cannabis resin, 14 kilos of cocaine and 4 kilos of heroin between 5 and 12 May, arresting 12 people as part of four different drug trafficking networks. Trafficking all orchestrated from the Lyon agglomeration that "highlight the importance of the Rhône market and the power of the networks that operate there", insist the police officers of the Anti-Narcotics Office (Ofast).
The investigators were able to trace two vehicles going up in convoy from Spain, monitored on the A7 motorway before being intercepted in the town of Givors on Friday, May 5. Inside the carrier vehicle, they discovered 11 Moroccan suitcases containing 382 kilos of cannabis resin. Referred to the judicial authority on May 9, the two defendants of Perpignan origin were indicted and imprisoned.
Same content and same itinerary for this more sophisticated convoy stopped the following Friday in the department of Drôme from the Iberian Peninsula on the A7 motorway. This time with 15 suitcases and 527 kilos of cannabis resin found in a van equipped with a cache arranged at the bottom of the trailer and driven by a Spanish national. A "well-known" Lyon criminal opened the way for him in a sedan. Both were referred and imprisoned.
Cocaine, heroin and a worrying arsenal
Meanwhile the stups had brought down two traffickers from Lyon followed since the beginning of the year and two carriers from the North, who operated repeated deliveries on the agglomeration. This time 14 kilos of cocaine were seized. Investigators also found four weapons, a bulletproof vest and a hundred rounds of ammunition. A vehicle, two luxury watches, 28,330 euros in cash and 34,590 euros in bank accounts were also seized. Three suspects were indicted and the fourth placed under judicial control.
Finally, a heroin distribution network in the Lyon agglomeration was also dismantled after long months of surveillance. The mastermind of the trafficking, as well as one of his nannies with whom he cut drugs, were arrested on Thursday, May 11 and placed in custody. Four kilos of heroin, 90 grams of cocaine and 1.5 kilos of cutting products were found during the search. Two hydraulic presses, packaging equipment, a German sedan and 12,695 euros in cash were also seized. Two other accomplices were arrested the next day. Of the four suspects, two were eventually remanded in custody and two others under judicial supervision.
Ofast investigators highlight "a diversity of modus operandi" of these different teams, "intended to complicate the work of investigators". And in particular the "use of "rouleurs" from a remote geographical area", "multiple nannies" or "converted vehicles".
