Record seizure in Haute-Saône village: cannabis, cutting agents and automatic weapons discovered
Law enforcement uncovered a significant stock of drugs and two firearms during a search in Fondremand, as part of a drug-trafficking investigation.
Record seizure in Haute-Saône village: cannabis, cutting agents and automatic weapons discovered
Military personnel discovered nearly 4.5 kilogrammes of illicit substances, products used to dilute the merchandise, as well as a Kalashnikov rifle and a pistol during a search in a rural commune in Haute-Saône. The operation targeted a drug-distribution network operating in the Upper Doubs region.
The investigation originated from the surveillance of an individual currently imprisoned for drug-trafficking offences. Sentenced to four years by the Besançon court in January of last year, this inmate is believed to have managed to maintain his criminal activities from his cell in a prison in central France. Investigators believe he is relying on several accomplices to continue directing his operations.
Among the suspected associates is a 48-year-old resident of the locality of Fondremand, a small commune of two hundred inhabitants. It was at his home that the military personnel raided early in the week. During the search, they uncovered nearly 800 grammes of cannabis herb, over one kilogramme of resin, and two and a half kilogrammes of a white powder used to dilute drugs. Equipment for preparing and mixing the various products was also found, suggesting the existence of a packaging workshop.
The searches also revealed the presence of a Kalashnikov rifle and a 6.35 mm calibre pistol. Faced with the evidence accumulated against him, the man in his fifties, already subject to a sentence of two and a half years' imprisonment in 2016, chose to remain silent during his custody.
The justice system has requested his provisional incarceration pending his trial, which is scheduled to take place in July. His associate, already in detention, will be tried at the same hearing. Two other individuals, a woman and a man accused of arranging the transport of merchandise, opted for a guilty plea procedure. The justice system imposed respectively twelve months' imprisonment and three years' imprisonment, of which twenty-four months are suspended.
Source: L'Est Républicain
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)