International Drug Ring Trial Begins in French Court, Linking Morocco to Europe

After a last-minute postponement on April 7, the trial of a vast drug network orchestrated from Castelsarrasin finally opened on Monday, June 2, 2025, before the criminal court of Montauban and is expected to continue today. At the helm, President Audrey Trafi, surrounded by two assessors, who will direct the proceedings, reports La Dépêche. This extraordinary hearing will see the presence of several prominent lawyers from Paris, Toulouse, and Agen bars.

For two days, a family clan, originally from Castelsarrasin, will be tried before the criminal court of Montauban for its involvement in a vast international drug trafficking operation between Tarn-et-Garonne, Spain, Morocco, and the Netherlands. In total, twelve individuals, presumed members of the clan, will be in the dock. They allegedly sold over one million euros worth of drugs between 2022 and 2023.

It all started with a routine traffic stop in Varennes in June 2022. Law enforcement discovered nearly 80 kg of cannabis resin. This discovery led to the opening of a thorough investigation involving wiretaps, surveillance, vehicle bugging, and GPS tracking. Investigators discovered that this network had conducted regular convoys between France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Morocco. The route of the merchandise: from North Africa to southwestern France via the Iberian Peninsula. Suspicious financial flows, unjustified real estate purchases, luxury cars, and nearly 159,000 euros of income without declared origin were identified by investigators. The network’s turnover is estimated between 1.08 and 1.21 million euros.

Dozens of charges have been brought, notably against Christian J., 56, presented as the clan leader, already heavily convicted in the past; his brother Toufek J. and his son Farid J., all three prosecuted for aggravated trafficking, import and export of narcotics in an organized gang, as well as money laundering as repeat offenders. Several women in the family circle are accused of having helped conceal assets, placed cash sums, or masked the origin of certain goods. Inès S., Farid’s partner, is suspected of having acquired real estate without known income. The entire family clan will answer for its actions before justice.