Drug trafficking in Toulouse: Mohamed Zerrouki back before the courts for illicit enrichment
The alleged head of the drug trafficking operation in the Izards neighbourhood appears before the Haute-Garonne assize court for financial offences. His lifestyle, deemed incompatible with his official income, is at the heart of the accusations.
Zerrouki once again before the assize court for money laundering offences linked to Toulouse drug trafficking
The specially constituted assize court of Haute-Garonne has been examining since Wednesday the financial aspect of a drug trafficking case centred on the Izards neighbourhood, north of Toulouse. According to ladepeche.fr, Mohamed Zerrouki, 45, with no criminal record and father of three children, is suspected of having been the leader of the clan that controlled drug trafficking in this sector for many years. Six hearings are scheduled to examine the case.
A financial investigation opened in January 2020
It was in early January 2020 that the judicial police, now renamed Decos, opened a financial investigation targeting Zerrouki. The investigations quickly revealed marked discrepancies between the lifestyle of the accused and his family, and his official income, which was virtually non-existent.
The Izards neighbourhood has long been associated with drug trafficking. Investigators assessed the revenue generated by cannabis trafficking alone at between 12,000 and 18,000 euros per day, according to evidence gathered during the investigation. Cocaine represented an additional source of profit, the exact amount of which was not specified.
Faced with the difficulty of proving directly the involvement of figures from the neighbourhood in dealing points, the police modified their approach: its financial specialists were tasked with examining the assets and fund movements of these individuals.
A house sold for 552,000 euros at the centre of the debate
The investigation notably focused on the construction of a house in Buzet-sur-Tarn, resold for 552,000 euros by the couple. Zerrouki claimed to have "worked hard with his hands with friends" to build the property. However, an expert appointed by the court estimated the cost of the work at over 250,000 euros. The bank loan obtained amounted to only 180,000 euros, of which 61,000 euros was allocated to the purchase of the land. The court also considers that the documents provided to the bank to obtain this loan were forged.
Zerrouki's employment in the Gers was also examined. According to investigators, this employment was not compatible with his recorded movements. His trips to casinos and sports betting, cited to explain certain cash flows, would have cost him more than they would have earned him.
Encrypted phones yield embarrassing evidence
The investigation took on a new dimension thanks to data extracted from SkyGPP-type encrypted phones seized by the national authority responsible for organised crime, based in Paris. These devices, used by Toulouse traffickers and reputed to be impenetrable, contained compromising conversations: exchanges with Morocco and South America regarding the transport of hundreds of kilos of cannabis and cocaine to Toulouse. Investigators also found in them a photograph of thousands of notes piled on the dining table of the family home.
Faced with these elements, Zerrouki long denied any involvement. Last March, during a previous trial concerning a settling of accounts, he had alternated between silence, an attempted suicide and a refusal to appear. These positions had not prevented his conviction to 27 years' imprisonment, a sentence against which he appealed.
The accused's wife also in the dock
This time, five people are appearing, including one accused still at large. Among them is Zerrouki's wife, aged 42, never imprisoned since her arrest in spring 2021. After seventeen years of living together and three children, the court is questioning her real knowledge of her husband's activities. She denies any involvement, but the investigation file tends to demonstrate the contrary.
Hakim Bouddejelah, represented by Messrs Dupoux and Le Bonjour, and Badreddine Abbou, assisted by Mr Parra-Bruguière, are also among the co-accused. The defence of the couple is ensured by Mr Mourad Battikh. According to a lawyer cited in the article, the legal provisions applied are "copied from Italian anti-mafia laws". The sentences at risk run to dozens of years' imprisonment.
Verdict expected next week
The hearings are to continue for six days. The verdict is expected next week. For Zerrouki, this new trial is part of a continuing legal saga involving the Izards clan over years, marked in particular by a series of murders in summer 2020 in this neighbourhood in the north of Toulouse.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)