Raid on investigators

Marseille: Police raid on drug squad

The drug squad has itself become the subject of a police raid.

(Bild: Christophe SIMON / AFP (Symbolbild))

In the fight against the rampant drug trade in Marseille in the south of France, the drug squad itself has now become the subject of a police raid. Previously, 70 kilos of hashish had already been found in the possession of a mayoress.

The same scenes in the southern French port city as from one of the many series offered on streaming providers: But the internal raid by the General Inspectorate of the National Police on Marseille's leading criminal investigation department was no fiction.

The officers searched the premises of their colleagues who usually uncover the biggest drug deals and handcuff mafia bosses. As the French daily newspaper "Le Parisien" reports, the raid took place due to alleged violations and suspected corruption in the highly respected department. No arrests were made in this connection.

Arrestsin Burgundy
However, there were - as reported - in Burgundy in eastern France: investigators found no less than 70 kilograms of prohibited hashish in the home of the mayor of Avallon. The handcuffs also clicked for two of her brothers, known drug criminals. They are believed to have used her sister's premises as a drug bunker. The politician was nevertheless remanded in custody by the public prosecutor's office in Auxerre.

France declares war on drug trafficking
France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin is currently planning high-profile raids in numerous cities to curb drug trafficking. "Our fight against drugs and dealers is total," said the minister. The police operations, known as "Place nette" (Clean Square), involve officers being deployed around the clock to the problem areas of cities. In Marseille, the authorities recently spoke of a raid on an XXL scale with around 900 police and customs officers deployed. In the port city, 49 people lost their lives in drug-related violence last year.

Our fight against drugs and dealers is total.

Innenminister Gérald Darmanin

Public prosecutors, judges and Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti have recently clashed several times over the issue of drug dealing in Marseille. The minister reprimanded them because they recently publicly addressed the increase in corruption in the police and judiciary and also declared that the war against drug crime in Marseille was being lost. 

Highest cocaine consumption in Europe
France has the highest cocaine consumption in Europe and the second highest cannabis and hashish consumption, according to a report by the French Observatory on Drug Addiction (OFDT). And according to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs, 44.8 percent of 15 to 64-year-olds in France have used cannabis at least once in their lives.