Major Drug Bust: 590 Kilos of Cannabis Seized Near Reims, Five Arrested

Based on information gathered through the encrypted communication system EncroCha, the investigations began in March 2020. François Pérain, the public prosecutor of Nancy, had ordered the opening of a judicial investigation for facts of organized drug importation, drug trafficking and money laundering. Under the control of the Specialized Inter-Regional Jurisdiction (JIRS) of Nancy, the investigators had been able to identify a network of organized traffickers, mainly between Bar-le-Duc and Reims, reports L’Est Républicain. According to the supply circuit, the drug - very large volumes of cannabis resin - was transported from Morocco to France via Spain.

The investigators carried out an operation on January 25th, with the collaboration of the Spanish Guardia Civil. In total, five individuals, including two women, were arrested in Bar-le-Duc, in the Reims area and in Spain. They are between 25 and 50 years old. Among them, a man from the Meuse region, targeted by a European arrest warrant, known for drug trafficking, was arrested in Malaga. He will be extradited to France. As for the other suspects, they were indicted as part of this traffic. Three of them were placed in pre-trial detention.

During the searches in Tinqueux, the investigators seized 590 kilos of cannabis resin, stored in two vehicles parked in a box. "The drug was still packaged in the form of bales of about thirty kilos for a market value estimated at more than one million euros," the Nancy JIRS said in a press release. An automatic pistol of caliber 7.65, ammunition as well as five high-end vehicles, "two of which were stolen" and 22,000 euros in cash were also placed under seal. "The investigators also seized the accounts of a vehicle rental company suspected of being used for money laundering part of the proceeds of the traffic," the JIRS added.