30 people arrested after a release of cocaine bundles on the Norman coasts – Liberation
The authorities speak of it as a « Exceptional operation » and a « First in France » in the fight against drug trafficking. The Rennes prosecutor’s office announced this Friday, April 4, the arrests of 30 people last night after a so -called operation « Drop off »or the fact of throwing cocaine from a boat so that another crew can recover it discreetly further. In detail, the people arrested are six men, including three fishermen, and two women, aged 25 to 49, as well as 22 sailors of Philippine origin. About 800 kilograms of cocaine were discovered in a boat.
The arrests were made in two stages. On the one hand, the six men and two women were arrested in Tancarville and Le Havre (Seine-Maritime) and Ouistreham (Calvados). At the same time, a ship from Brazil and heading towards Amsterdam, identified « As being the one who transported drugs near the French coasts »was confused by the French coast guard towards the port of Dunkirk (North).
The Rennes prosecutor’s office welcomed « Deployment of means of all French interior security forces » allowed « To materialize for the first time a massive importation of cocaine via the technique of “Drop off”which hitherto only resulted in massive strating of lost goods lost on the beaches ».
At the end of 18 months of investigation, the nocturnal operation to arrest the 30 suspects mobilized 100 police officers and 70 gendarmes, according to the public prosecutor of Rennes, Frédéric Teillet. The preliminary investigation dating from October 19, 2023, which became a judicial information on February 19, 2024, was opened in particular with imported managers in organized bands of narcotic products, stups traffic, participation in an association of criminals in order to commit a crime and money laundering.
The last report of the United Nations Drug Agency confirmed the preponderance of the maritime sector for the delivery of cocaine to Europe and in particular France. This technique of « Drop off » has long been reserved for Latin America and the Caribbean. The multiplication in recent years of the bars of drugs stranded on the beaches of the French coast is a sign of a resurgence of this strategy among traffickers.
According to experts, these pitfalls in delivery can be explained by several factors. Pèle mixes, a GPS tag that does not work, a customs control at the next port, a cargo that falls into the water at the wrong time or even an agitated sea. In September, a white tide of ballots, each containing several tens of kilos of cocaine, spread over the racing beachesUlles-sur-Mer (Calvados) or even Saint-Marcouf (Manche).
This new affair carried out along the Norman coasts confirms the trend after an unprecedented 2024 year. A total of 53.5 tonnes of cocaine was seized last year, an increase of 130 % compared to 2023. The fight against drug trafficking is a Tandem priority Bruno Retailleau and Gérald Darmanin.
To try to adapt the legal response and stem the cocaine surge on France, the deputies adopted Tuesday, April 1 The law against drug trafficking. Among the measures, a new detention regime, the possibility of extending police custody or the creation of a dedicated prosecution.
