Drug trafficking in Vaucluse: elderly people and those under guardianship exploited by networks
In Vaucluse, drug traffickers systematically target vulnerable people. Magistrates in Avignon and Carpentras are sounding the alarm.
Vulnerable profiles at the heart of Vaucluse drug networks
Google News FR — Crime (fr) reports that drug traffickers in Vaucluse are recruiting massively from the most vulnerable populations: elderly people, individuals placed under guardianship or curatorship, undocumented migrants, single mothers and dependent users.
"In the majority of cases, a vulnerable person is part of the network," declares Nicolas Delpierre, deputy public prosecutor at the judicial tribunal of Avignon, responsible for narcotics, weapons and organised crime, who has just left his post to move to Ardèche. The networks view them as a "docile" workforce, according to his own words.
The phenomenon extends beyond the Avignon tribunal alone. Hélène Mourges, head of the Carpentras public prosecutor's office, confirms the same reality in her jurisdiction: in 2025, she recorded a dozen cases involving people under curatorship, under guardianship, psychologically fragile or with disabilities. These individuals are "often used as dealers", specifies the magistrate.
Network leaders systematically exploit economic, social, psychological or age-related vulnerabilities to recruit, transport merchandise or establish their grip. The two magistrates agree that the figures are only rising, making this link between drug trafficking and vulnerability one of the most concerning aspects of organised crime in the department.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)