Dismantling of trafficking between Spain and southern France, two tonnes of cannabis seized

An "international drug trafficking" between Spain and southern France has been dismantled, with nine people imprisoned, some of whom "known in narco-banditry", and nearly two tons of cannabis seized, welcomed the justice Wednesday.

After the opening of a judicial investigation in June 2022, investigators have uncovered "the organization of many go-fast convoys organized from supply hubs located in the Vaucluse, the Bouches-du-Rhône or the Eastern Pyrenees to supply cities of the Bouches-du-Rhône, Vaucluse and Var," explained the Marseille prosecutor's office in a statement Wednesday.

Narcotics transported by a semi-trailer

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Links" have also been demonstrated "with French nationals settled in Spain, where the cannabis resin came from", transported by road including several weekly rotations of a semi-trailer: "On each trip, several hundred kilos of narcotics were imported from Spain," says the prosecutor.

Friday, an operation mobilizing 200 gendarmes supported by the GIGN allowed "the interception of the semi-trailer containing 1.4 tons of cannabis" and the arrest of fifteen people in the departments concerned. During the searches of their homes, an additional 580 kilos of cannabis, 1.5 kg of cocaine, weapons and vehicles, watches and luxury items and cash and bank accounts were discovered. On Tuesday, a person residing in Spain was arrested by Malaga police. At the end of police custody, 11 people, "some of whom are known in the world of narco-banditry", were indicted and nine were placed in pre-trial detention.

Marseille has a specialized interregional jurisdiction (Jirs) which has jurisdiction over the entire Mediterranean arc for serious crime, including drug trafficking. Historically, Marseille, a port city, is an area of drug trafficking. But in recent years, medium-sized cities have seen an increase in drug trafficking in southern France. This is particularly the case of Vaucluse, where a policeman was killed in broad daylight on a deal point in 2021.