Attempted drug delivery by drone at Poitiers-Vivonne: two young men remain in custody
Two men aged 18 and 19, from Nantes, appeared on Monday before the criminal court in Poitiers for allegedly attempting to smuggle cannabis into prison by drone.
Drone and cannabis at Poitiers-Vivonne: profile of two young defendants adjourned to 27 July
Two men aged 18 and 19 appeared on Monday 29 June before the criminal court in Poitiers, according to ici.fr. During the night of 11–12 May 2026, they had piloted a drone in an attempt to introduce a package containing cannabis and cigarettes into Poitiers-Vivonne prison.
The case was adjourned due to a lawyers' strike, but the court had time to establish the profile of the two defendants, who stood behind the glass of the dock, their features still youthful.
Two similar trajectories, the same dead end
The first is a Tunisian without papers who arrived in France four years earlier, housed with his older brother since his parents remained in Tunisia. The second lives with his disabled mother and grew up without a father. Both are from Nantes.
Each had begun training for a certificate of vocational competence — one in carpentry, the other in plastering — without ever obtaining the diploma. The first was dismissed following a fight; the second abandoned his course because of a boss he considered dishonest. "Idleness is the mother of all vices," the prosecutor general said regretfully at the hearing.
Without employment or qualifications, the two young men agreed to carry out the operation for 400 euros, claiming they were unaware of the extent of the risks they faced — up to ten years' imprisonment. The drone pilot claimed he acted "under threat" from the person who commissioned the operation.
"I cannot adapt to this environment"
Incarcerated for the first time at 18 years old, the drone pilot said he felt "the smallest" in the prison. He expressed his "regrets" at the hearing, adding that detention was "too difficult". "I don't feel well in detention. On the first day I fell ill. I cannot adapt to this environment," he stated. His co-defendant is also experiencing his first time in prison.
Despite these statements, the court decided to keep both men in provisional custody pending judgment, scheduled for 27 July 2026.
The alleged person who commissioned the operation already imprisoned
The alleged person who commissioned the operation should also appear on that date. He is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for drug trafficking, criminal association and aggravated violence.
In relation to this same case, five people were also arrested the following week, suspected of having delivered packages of drugs to Vivonne prison. Three of them were to be brought before the Poitiers prosecutor's office on Friday for a hearing on provisional detention.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)