William Molinié / Photo credits: LAURE BOYER / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 06:12, March 6, 2024, modified at 06:14, March 6, 2024

According to information collected by Europe 1, 2,033 minors were indicted for use, resale and trafficking of drugs last year in Paris and in the three departments of the inner suburbs.

It is a reality that is unfortunately being written before our eyes.

For around ten years, specialized services have observed a rejuvenation of drug traffickers at deal points.

This automatically leads to a lowering of the age of entry into crime.

According to information collected by Europe 1, 2,033 minors were indicted last year for use, resale or trafficking of drugs in Paris and the inner suburbs.

That’s almost six children arrested every day for these reasons.

On average, of all those accused in drug cases, 21% are under 18 years old.

Among them, three quarters are between 16 and 18 years old, and a quarter between 13 and 15 years old.

The vast majority are boys (96%) since girls only represent 4% of the children involved.

Paid by the task, easily interchangeable

Minors are used on deal points like small hands.

Lookouts, touts or delivery men… “The logic of traffickers is to have people who are paid by the task or by the act, who are easily accessible through social networks or by word of mouth to be recruited. And which are easily interchangeable in the event of arrest since the criminal minority leads to the repression being less heavy than for adults", deciphers at the microphone Europe 1 the general commissioner Guillaume Batigne, head of the narcotics brigade at the judicial police Parisian.

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If the rate of involvement of minors in drug trafficking (21% in 2023) has been relatively stable since 2021, it is not decreasing, despite the involvement of the police services in prevention.

Regularly, police officers from the narcotics brigade travel to middle and high schools in the Paris metropolitan area to intervene with young people.

Last year, 10,423 young people spoke with agents in classrooms.

Trivialization of the image of the drug trafficker

In addition to this public, the police are also responsible for leading awareness-raising courses with the judicial protection of young people and psychologists for minors convicted by the courts.

Philippe Barreau, commander of the drug brigade, has a front-row seat to observe the evolution of the relationship with drugs among young people.

“Change is the trivialization of products and the trivialization of the image that is conveyed of a trafficker who can be a nice guy, a model of social success, a model of integration into a kind of company” , he explains to the Europe 1 microphone.

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"The difficulty is explaining to them that it's not a business, it's not a job. Showing them that there are limits that we don't want to exceed. On our ethics, on our self-esteem, on what our family or friends think in the short and medium term of our involvement in trafficking,” he continues.

This prevention today clashes with the image of drug dealers conveyed by films or detective series.

Yesterday, the leading roles went to the police officers: Julie Lescaut and Navarro.

Today, it is the traffickers who are at the top of the bill with The Wire, Narcos or Breaking Bad.