"Vanweed" network dismantled in Besançon: 58 kg of drugs and 900 clients registered
Fifty police officers arrested four men on 16 September in Besançon, seizing 58 kg of narcotics worth €600,000 on an encrypted delivery channel.
"Vanweed" channel dismantled in Besançon: four arrests, 58 kg of narcotics seized
Fifty police officers intervened on 16 September in the Besançon metropolitan area to dismantle a home drugs delivery network, reports estrepublicain.fr. Four men, aged between 29 and 40 and all previously known to the justice system, were arrested and taken into police custody.
The network operated via the encrypted messaging channel "Vanweed", on which there were no fewer than 900 customers registered in Besançon and its surroundings. These individuals could order cannabis, ketamine, cocaine or ecstasy, delivered directly to their homes.
One year of investigation before the operation
The investigation began in August 2025 at the initiative of the narcotics squad, which targeted this trafficking network with delivery covering the entire Besançon area. "The suspects used encrypted messaging services to communicate with consumers," specified Republic Prosecutor Cédric Logelin at a press briefing.
In January 2026, the emergency investigation evolved into judicial proceedings for possession, transport and acquisition of narcotics. The prosecution also retained the charge of offering or supply of narcotics via encryption means. "An offence which is considered a crime and which is punished by 15 years imprisonment," Logelin recalled.
The investigators relied on the arrest of delivery drivers, physical surveillance and telephone interception. Laurent Perrault, interdepartmental director of the national police (DIPN), highlighted the scale of the work: "It is fieldwork, which mobilised personnel day and night, to gather evidence." He specified that the network was already known in the south of the department and that a first operation had been conducted against it in 2023, with partial arrests.
Details of seizures
During searches in apartments and garages in the city, police officers seized:
- 29 kg of cannabis
- 24,000 ecstasy tablets
- 12 kg of ketamine
- 7 kg of herbal matter
- 550 g of cocaine
"The estimated resale value is €600,000," indicated Prosecutor Logelin. The investigators also recovered €8,800 in cash, €26,000 in luxury clothing, two vehicles and a motorcycle.
Four charged and remanded in custody
Following the interviews, the behaviour of the four suspects was unanimously uncooperative. "Three remained silent and one denied the allegations," revealed Cédric Logelin. Presented before an investigating judge on the Saturday following their arrest, they were all charged and remanded in custody.
For the investigators, this operation represents the culmination of several months of particularly complex investigation. "We arrest many people each week as part of the fight against drug trafficking. But it is often difficult to trace back to those giving the orders," Laurent Perrault concluded. He added that, in this case, the investigations had "potentially" made it possible to apprehend the very managers of the network.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)