Drug trafficking between the Paris suburbs and Latin America, facilitated by a customs officer? Twelve people were indicted Sunday in Paris and eleven of them imprisoned, including a barrier guard from Roissy.

In this case revealed by Le Parisien, linked to trafficking that would have been organized from the south of the Paris metropolis including Mexico, these twelve people were indicted Sunday for various offenses such as the importation of narcotics in organized gang, drug trafficking, laundering in organized gang, criminal association, corruption as well as for weapons-related offences, according to the source.

"Up to 400,000 euros of profit per week"

"Eleven were placed in pre-trial detention including the customs officer, the twelfth having been placed under judicial control," said the judicial source. According to a source close to the investigation, thirteen people had initially been placed in custody Wednesday after arrests by investigators of the PJ of Versailles "in the heart of Grande-Borne", a sensitive district of Essonne. "An operation of this magnitude, in this place, it had never been done," she said, referring to "the fruit of two years of work" and "the seizure of 70 kg of cocaine as well as weapons".

According to this source, "it is a network run by three well-known brothers of the Grande Borne, who have control over the traffic there. They are extremely rich, they have property in Guinea, Dubai... " said this source. The network "could make up to 400,000 euros of profit per week," it was further indicated. Among the thirteen arrested were the customs officer, working at Roissy, but also an employee of the SNCF.

Between 40 and 60 kg of cocaine per suitcase

The first "had been approached for many years, with very elaborate intelligence techniques, especially through social networks", and would have been paid 45,000 euros per suitcase from Mexico, to "close his eyes", detailed the source. "Each suitcase contained between 40 and 60 kg of cocaine and he took out one or two a week," the source said.

According to Le Parisien, a system of ghost passengers has been set up, checking in but never boarding planes, unlike their drug loads. As indicated by the daily, this customs officer had paraded on the Champs-Elysées on July 14, 2022 for a nice cocaine catch, confirmed the source close to the file. He would be 35 years old and would be a former soldier of the army, stationed in Le Havre then Roissy, where he was arrested, according to the daily.

Record drug seizures in France

Drug seizures broke a new record in 2022 in France and reached a historic level of more than 157 tons intercepted, cannabis and cocaine in the lead, according to figures released in early March by the authorities.

"The fight against drug trafficking is more than ever the mother of all battles," Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said at a press conference with his colleagues from Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti and Public Accounts Gabriel Attal. Gabriel Attal asked Friday for "the most total firmness" after the announcement of the arrest the day before this customs officer.

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