Le Figaro Lyon
Nice haul at the Villefranche-sur-Saône toll booth.
A customs operation carried out in mid-January led to the arrest of a man who was driving up the A6 motorway at the wheel of a BMW 3 series loaded with drugs.
The officers' attention was drawn to this vehicle, which they decided to check.
But the driver refused to comply and tried to escape, while driving over the customs officers' portcullis.
The latter then only had to pick it up and proceed to search the car.
Inside the trunk, they discovered 24 kilos of herbal cannabis.
The suspect was taken into custody by the Rhône gendarmerie Research Brigade supported by the Motorized Brigade in Villefranche-sur-Saône.
The investigation established that this German national came from Spain to go to Germany with his cargo.
“
He would have made several trips back and forth between these two countries since the summer of 2023
,” specifies the Rhône gendarmerie.
Brought to court for immediate appearance, the man was found guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced to 18 months in prison, eight of which were suspended.
He also received a customs fine of 42,000 euros while his goods were obviously seized, as was his vehicle.
The drugs were destroyed.
The trafficker was also banned from appearing on French territory for a period of five years.