Senior cocaine trafficker referred to assize court following dismantling of network
Firat Cinko, 39, is being referred to the special assize court for having directed a vast international cocaine trafficking operation from Paris and from Meaux prison. Twenty-two other people are being prosecuted alongside him.
Trial at assize court for massive cocaine trafficking
According to ouest-france.fr, an indictment order issued in late November refers Firat Cinko to the special assize court. The Paris prosecutor's office suspects this 39-year-old Frenchman of having directed and organised an international network for drug trafficking, operating both from the upmarket districts of Paris and from his cell in Meaux prison in Seine-et-Marne.
Cinko faces a life sentence. Twenty-two other people are being referred alongside the main defendant, suspected of having participated at various levels within the organisation. An appeal hearing was scheduled for 11 February 2026 to contest the prosecution.
A residence near the Élysée
Before his imprisonment, Cinko lived in the 8th arrondissement of Paris with his partner. His flat was located approximately four minutes on foot from the Élysée and Place Beauveau, the seat of the Interior Ministry. The proximity to the presidential residence made an impression on investigators during the inquiry.
The man appears in court records as one of the major figures in cocaine trafficking in France. According to a source close to the investigation consulted by the AFP, Cinko is ranked among the thirty main traffickers targeted as a priority by investigators. His network is among the dozen organisations that control massive flows of cocaine into French territory.
Massive imports and continental routes
The investigation, conducted across several continents, documented cocaine imports by sea and air between 2020 and 2021. The routes connected Paris, Le Havre and Martinique to a leading Venezuelan supplier.
The justice system particularly notes the importation of 600 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in a container from Martinique. This cargo was seized at Le Havre in the summer of 2020. A second shipment of nearly 400 kilogrammes is also said to have been organised by Cinko whilst he was already in detention.
According to the indictment order, the investigation "made it possible to uncover a structured network specialised in the supply, transport and distribution of cocaine" from the Caribbean arc. The investigating judges emphasise that Cinko, although he disputes this, "appears to be the head of this network with considerable logistical means and financial resources".
Denials and criminal history
During interrogations, Cinko denied running the trafficking operation, although he admitted participating in it. He presented himself as a logistics operator and police informant, claiming to have taken part in trafficking operations in order to inform on the participants. Authorities confirm that he was indeed a source of intelligence for the drugs police, but only until 2017.
Cinko has a serious criminal record. He has already been convicted on several occasions for drug trafficking, despite having had a peaceful childhood and excellent academic results. Subsequent investigations led him to be involved in two corruption matters: one involving a clerk at Meaux prison, the other an officer from the Central Office for the Suppression of Illicit Drug Trafficking.
Revelations through infiltration and surveillance
Cinko was first discovered through an infiltration operation conducted by American authorities, then by a French undercover agent. Investigators also exploited covert audio recording from his Smart car. The vehicle captured Cinko's conversations, which he conducted without caution whilst travelling. Photographs and videos documenting blocks of cocaine at different stages of transport strengthened the accusation file.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)