Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credits: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP 2:54 p.m., March 26, 2024, modified at 2:55 p.m., March 26, 2024
As part of an investigation into a vast import network, seven men were arrested and more than 800 kilos of drugs seized, including 401 kilos of cocaine. The arrests led to the discovery, in Ville-du-Bois (Essonne), of 401 kilos of cocaine hidden in a refrigerated truck transporting boxes of sea bream.
Seven men were arrested and more than 800 kilos of drugs seized, including 401 kilos of cocaine, as part of an investigation into a "vast importation network", the Nancy Jirs announced on Tuesday. The arrests of the suspects, aged 22 to 38, took place on Thursday, said the Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction (Jirs) in a press release. They were all indicted and placed in detention.
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430 kilos of cannabis resin
The arrests led to the discovery, in Ville-du-Bois (Essonne), of 401 kilos of cocaine hidden in a refrigerated truck transporting... cases of sea bream, according to the newspaper Le Parisien. Searches were also carried out, allowing the seizure of 430 kilos of cannabis resin, 2.2 kilos of weed and 272,000 euros in cash, as well as "several vehicles with equipped caches", further specifies the Jirs.
During their investigations, investigators revealed "numerous journeys to transport drugs or money", in France, but also in Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. The investigation is being conducted both at the National Directorate of the Judicial Police (DNPJ) and at the Strasbourg branch of the anti-narcotics office (OFAST), with "the support of the services of the Research and Investigation Brigade intervention (BRI) of Metz and the national BRI". In 2022, 27.7 tonnes of cocaine were intercepted, according to the authorities' latest report, an increase of 5% compared to 2021, a figure multiplied by five in 10 years.