5 kg of cocaine hidden in a compartment on the A6: 3 and 2 years' imprisonment
A couple intercepted on the A6 at Fontaines with 5 kg of cocaine concealed in a hidden compartment in their vehicle has been sentenced to 36 and 24 months' imprisonment.
Secret cache on the A6: couple convicted for transporting 5 kg of cocaine
According to info-chalon.com, it was on 25 April, at the Curney service station at Fontaines, that customs officers intercepted a SEAT vehicle late in the afternoon. Two child seats were installed in the rear. On board: a man in his fifties and a woman in her thirties. Beneath the central armrest, a fitted compartment concealed five kilogrammes of cocaine with a purity of 80 per cent. In the passenger's make-up bag, a further four grammes approximately of the same drug.
The vehicle's registration was temporary; the car belonged to the passenger's sister. During the check, the latter asked to retrieve her jumper, citing the cold. The customs officers inspected the garment before handing it back to her: the vehicle key was found in the front pocket.
Radically opposed versions
Remanded in custody on 29 April, the two defendants appeared on Monday 1 June in deferred appearance proceedings, pending analysis of each sachet to confirm the nature of the seized substances. At the hearing, each blamed the other.
The man admitted the facts. He explained that following a failed delivery in Belgium, which had resulted in a conviction, his handler had placed him in debt and compelled him, under threat and after being struck, to carry out this new transport without payment. He identified his passenger as the handler's sister-in-law: "She was there to keep watch."
The woman, born in Tunisia, residing according to her statements in Italy whilst working in a Tunisian restaurant near Cannes, denied any involvement. Her explanations at the hearing were deemed contradictory by the prosecutor: "She is talking nonsense." The defendant in turn blamed her co-defendant, claiming she had been threatened and exploited.
The man, divorced and father of two children, had been receiving income support (RSA) since his release from prison. He had previously been sentenced in the Netherlands to thirty months' imprisonment for drug trafficking and possession. The woman, with no criminal record, has no children.
The prosecutor highlights traffickers' arrogance
The customs officer present at the hearing requested a conviction based on the presumption of liability set out in customs law, as well as a fine of nearly 145,000 euros. He firmly opposed the return of the vehicle, as claimed by its owner: "This vehicle has a fitted compartment and must not circulate anywhere, neither in France nor elsewhere."
The prosecutor described the two defendants as "links in a trafficking operation", emphasising their significance in this respect. Regarding the passenger, she noted that the jumper found with the key was size S and therefore did belong to her. She also drew attention to the presence, in the defendant's telephone, of videos showing bundles of money and weapons. "Drug traffickers are always undone by their arrogance, they cannot resist having themselves photographed with money, and she too, and moreover, with weapons."
The prosecutor highlighted the scale of the harm caused by cocaine and noted a significant evolution of the market: "There is more and more of it, the gramme today costs 20 euros, previously it was 60 euros." She requested forty months' imprisonment for the man, who was in a state of legal recidivism, and three years' imprisonment for the woman, in both cases accompanied by a five-year ban from French territory.
Defence counsel point fingers at each other
Maître Massard, for the man, and a Paris-based lawyer, for the woman, pleaded forcefully. Their arguments reflected faithfully the positions of their respective clients: each implicated the other defendant. Following the proceedings, the man indicated he had nothing to add. The woman spoke for the last time: "I have nothing to do with this matter, I do not want to go to prison, he threatened me, he exploited me."
The court convicts and confiscates the vehicle
The Chalon-sur-Saône magistrates' court found both defendants guilty. The man was sentenced to thirty-six months' imprisonment, with continued detention. The woman received twenty-four months' imprisonment, also with continued detention. The request for the return of the vehicle was rejected: the SEAT is confiscated. Both convicted persons must furthermore pay a joint customs fine of 144,527 euros.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)