Paris Man Arrested in Major Cannabis Smuggling Operation from Morocco

The 26-year-old man is suspected of importing drugs from Morocco and supplying drug dealing points in the Île-de-France region, such as the Francs-Moisins housing project in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) or in Melun (Seine-et-Marne). A few days before his arrest, his Twingo had been checked by anti-crime brigade agents in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis), but no grams of cannabis had been found in the vehicle, reports the newspaper Le Parisien.

The suspect was finally arrested last week by police from the second judicial police district as part of a commission rogatory issued by a Parisian investigating judge. The agents discovered a specially fitted hiding place under the passenger seat of his Twingo. Using a grinder, they were able to open the hiding place, finding inside three kilos of grass, 500 grams of resin, 100 grams of cocaine and 3,000 euros in cash.

A larger quantity of drugs and money was found at his girlfriend’s home. In total, 50 kilos of cannabis, 1 kg of cocaine, a firearm and 40,000 euros in cash were seized. A friend of the suspect, who has just been released from prison after serving a two-year sentence for a money laundering case, was also arrested at the latter’s home.

According to a source close to the case, the suspect is not "a small intermediary but someone who supplies by the kilo, whether it’s one, five, ten or twenty. With his friend, he was directly exploiting his contacts in Morocco to get the product and reselling it at the Île-de-France drug dealing points". He was remanded in custody at the request of the Paris prosecutor’s office. His friend, who would be a ringleader in this case, was placed under judicial supervision.