Repeat offender dealer sentenced to 18 months prison in Bayonne: cocaine, revolver and €7,300
A 35-year-old man with 22 previous convictions has been sentenced by Bayonne court to 18 months in prison for drug trafficking as a repeat offender.
Drug trafficking as a repeat offence: 18 months prison handed down in Bayonne
Eighteen months in prison, upheld at hearing: this is the sentence pronounced on Monday 24 August by Bayonne judicial court against a 35-year-old man prosecuted for drug trafficking as a repeat offender. Google News FR — Crime (fr) reports the details of a case marked by the discovery of a revolver, several tens of grammes of cocaine and more than 7,000 euros in cash.
The defendant showed no emotion when the sentence was announced. The prosecutor's representative, Marion Chalaux, had nevertheless reminded him of the gravity of his situation: "You face 20 years' imprisonment." His criminal record, which lists 22 convictions since 2008, and the facts found proved — a new drug trafficking offence committed as a repeat offender — did not work in his favour.
Stopped while driving, without a licence, with cocaine
It all began on Tuesday 18 August in the evening. Police stopped the man while driving a vehicle with a telephone in hand. They first noted that he was driving despite the judicial revocation of his driving licence. A search of the vehicle revealed seven grammes of cocaine in sachets in the glove compartment, as well as 340 euros in cash on him.
Investigators continued with a search of his mother's home in Anglet, where he was living with his brother. In several rooms of the flat, they found 7,300 euros in notes distributed in different locations. The thirty-something attempted an explanation: "I never kept money in my account. I withdraw it, I prefer to have it in cash."
Precision scales, client list and revolver
The search uncovered other incriminating evidence: a precision scale, a client list, additional sachets of cocaine and cannabis resin. Marion Chalaux counted "70 grammes of cocaine and 75 of resin". The defendant admitted that part of the money was linked to trafficking, but claimed he was dealing primarily to finance his €600 monthly personal consumption. The rest of the 7,300 euros would be the product of "savings" accumulated over time, with, he said, some undeclared work on the side.
The discovery of a revolver particularly caught the court's attention. The man explained it as an impulsive purchase at a car boot sale, presented as merely a "gadget". The court president, Florence Bouvier, dismissed the argument: "A weapon, a client list, cocaine, cash: that's a lot." She also noted that the facts had been committed whilst the defendant was wearing an electronic bracelet and was benefiting from six months' probationary suspension. The defendant agreed: "I'm really not proud, I regret it with all my heart."
Money laundering dismissed, sentence reduced from prosecutor's request
The prosecutor had requested two years in prison, as well as the revocation of the six-month suspension, arguing that efforts to conceal the money constituted money laundering. The defence, represented by Ms Marie Levet Gomez, obtained a dismissal on this point: "The possession of money is not sufficient to characterise money laundering." The lawyer also attempted to confine the facts to the three weeks preceding arrest, arguing that investigations into the defendant's telephone had revealed nothing suspicious before 7 August. According to her, the attested transactions concerned "62 grammes" of drugs at most.
The court ultimately sentenced the man to eighteen months in prison with an immediate order for imprisonment. He narrowly avoided the revocation of his previous suspension on purely formal grounds. A prohibition on possessing a weapon for five years is also imposed on him.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)