935 kg of cocaine seized in Pyrénées-Orientales: drug traffickers turn to secondary roads
Nearly one tonne of cocaine was intercepted in Arles-sur-Tech during a car chase. A 20-year-old man was arrested; the PNACO has opened an investigation.
Car chase in the mountains: 935 kg of cocaine intercepted in Pyrénées-Orientales
Arles-sur-Tech, a town of 2,800 inhabitants nestled in the Pyrénées-Orientales, was the scene of a major drug seizure on 5 and 6 September. According to France Info, gendarmes intercepted three vehicles, including a large SUV, carrying 935 kilogrammes of cocaine originating from Spain. Two soldiers were slightly wounded during the car chase, and a 20-year-old man from the Paris suburbs was arrested.
A new strategy for traffickers: avoiding major roads
The case highlights a change in tactics by drug trafficking networks. Cyril Mancone, coordinator of administrative investigation at the Alliance police union, explains: "They choose to use secondary routes so they can avoid large police or gendarmerie roadblocks, which obviously allows them to proceed under more favourable conditions."
In response, law enforcement has intensified checks on the small Pyrenean roads. It was in this context that, during the night of Friday to Saturday, in the town centre of Arles-sur-Tech, a vehicle from the convoy struck the gendarmes' car rather than stopping, slightly wounding two soldiers.
Transshipment in Amélie-les-Bains, one suspect arrested
A few kilometres further on, in Amélie-les-Bains, the fugitives were spotted as they transferred the cargo into two other cars. The majority of suspects managed to escape. Only a 20-year-old man from the Paris suburbs was arrested.
1,800 kg in one week in the same department
This seizure brings the total amount of cocaine intercepted in Pyrénées-Orientales in the space of one week to 1,800 kilogrammes. Figures at the national level testify to a broader trend: drug seizures originating from Spain and Portugal are rising sharply, increasing from 1.7 tonnes in 2024 to 11 tonnes in 2025.
Gilbert Beltran, deputy director general of the French Customs authority, offers an explanation: "Control measures have increased at ports in northern Europe, which means criminal organisations are shifting to road transport, which is somewhat more difficult to monitor."
The PNACO takes on the case
Behind this cargo, investigators suspect an international drug trafficking network. The National Prosecution for Organised Crime (PNACO) has just taken up the case.
Source: France Info