The unusual scene lasts a handful of minutes, Tuesday, May 30, but attracts the eye of the police officers of the anti-crime brigade of Sarcelles. That of two men walking on a dirt road towards a garden shed, one of them carrying a suitcase. A third man joined them moments later near the shed. This is the moment chosen by the police officers to control the three people. During this check, the suitcase opens and reveals no less than 100 cartons of cigarettes probably contraband. The three suspects were immediately arrested.
" READ ALSO Île-de-France: cigarette trafficking brought at least 4,000 euros per month to the wholesaler
While searching the shed, they discovered the stock of street vendors, nearly 503 other cartons of counterfeit cigarettes "Marlboro gold", "Marlboro red", "American Legend", as well as more than 3,000 euros in cash. The police mainly found, inside the shed, two other people linked to this trafficking.
Cigarettes destroyed
Brought back to the police station, the five suspects were taken into custody and placed at the disposal of urban security investigators. During their hearings, the alleged traffickers all named one of them as the sponsor of the trafficking. The 54-year-old, however, denied the facts and categorically refused to communicate the access codes of his mobile phone. On 31 May, on the instructions of the Pontoise public prosecutor, the cigarettes were destroyed, the money and the mobile phone placed under seal.
Judged by the criminal court on June 1, the alleged boss of the network was sentenced to ten months in prison suspended and five years of exclusion from French territory. Three others, aged between 33 and 39, were subsequently summoned and the fourth was not prosecuted.
