Major Cannabis Trafficking Ring Dismantled in France After International Probe

It all started with intelligence from the Moroccan authorities. In 2022, they alerted the French police to the suspicious movements of a Frenchman between Morocco and Haute-Garonne. An investigation was opened and then entrusted to the OFAST of Toulouse. After wiretaps and surveillance, the law enforcement authorities stumbled upon a vast drug trafficking network linking Morocco, Spain and France, with ramifications in other European countries, reports La Dépêche du Midi. The investigation reveals that a Moroccan trafficker was one of the main importers of cannabis in France. His modus operandi was to deliver the goods directly to the neighborhoods of Mirail in Toulouse.

Recently, he changed his method. He organizes transportation via Spain, where dozens of kilos of drugs were stored in a warehouse. High-Garonne intermediaries recovered the goods from the other side of the Pyrenees, before transporting them in "go fast" to Toulouse. Then they resold the drugs to the managers of the drug dealing points: the resin and the grass were mainly sold in Mirail, but also in other neighborhoods in the area.

On March 4, the law enforcement authorities managed to dismantle this vast drug trafficking network. A meticulously prepared operation resulted in the arrest of five suspects. A 45-year-old Moroccan trafficker, considered one of the barons of the drug trade in Europe, was also arrested. He is suspected of being at the head of the network and of having brought hundreds of tons of cannabis into France.

All the suspects were indicted and placed in detention. The law enforcement authorities also seized luxury cars, including a Maserati and a Ford Mustang GT, as well as several real estate properties. This traffic would have generated several tens of millions of euros. For now, the law enforcement authorities are continuing their investigations.