Ousmane M., 28, is an accountant, on a permanent contract, and has a comfortable salary. With his partner, they have just had a baby. “The man who appears before our court has an atypical profile,” as the public prosecutor noted during the hearing. However, on this Thursday, April 11, it was for drug trafficking and money laundering that the young man appeared before the Compiègne criminal court.
The defendant began to interest investigators during a traffic stop on March 7. Around 9 p.m., BAC agents spotted a Twingo driving at high speed, in Margny-lès-Compiègne, and asked the driver to stop.
When the young man opens his window, the police smell a strong smell of cannabis. They ask him to get out of the vehicle, and carry out a security pat-down. The officers then spotted wads of large sums of money under the driver's seat, as well as bags filled with a greenish material, which could be cannabis.
A scale hidden in the gear lever
Ousmane M. was immediately taken into police custody, and the two phones he owned were seized and searched. His car is also searched. 18 g of resin and 9 g of cannabis herb were found in the passenger compartment, and more than 10,000 euros in cash. The defendant explains that he wanted to entrust this sum to his cousin, so that he could buy him a new car.
The police also got their hands on a small scale, hidden in the gear lever. When the judge questions him about the presence of this object "not common in a car", the defendant indicates that he did not know that this scale was there. In police custody, he explained to investigators that it allowed him to avoid being fooled when he bought drugs.
“In Ousmane M.'s household, everyone works and struggles. Why would he take the risk of drug trafficking when he lives comfortably? », underlines Me de Boislaville in his pleading. The defendant's lawyer requests his release, or even the cancellation of the procedure, considering that "procedural requirements were not respected" during the arrest of her client.
The public prosecutor, for her part, considers that the court has sufficient elements to enter into sentencing, and requires 8 months of suspended prison sentence with a probationary suspension of 2 years, to “repair the damage done to the society”, and the confiscation of the money found, “from the underground economy”. The decision will be made on April 25.