Contraband cigarette trafficking established at Place de la Maourine, Toulouse
At the heart of the Borderouge neighbourhood in Toulouse, illicit cigarette trafficking has taken root at Place de la Maourine. Shopkeepers and residents describe the situation as "appalling".
Contraband cigarettes entrenched at Place de la Maourine, Toulouse
On Monday 17 August, customs officers from the Cierp-Gaud brigade, in southern Haute-Garonne, seized nearly 50 kg of contraband cigarettes as well as 3.5 kg of shisha tobacco, goods destined for the black market. A market which, according to ladepeche.fr, finds an outlet notably at Place de la Maourine, the central square of the Borderouge neighbourhood, north of Toulouse.
A living space turned dealing point
Served by the metro and bordered by shops — shopping centre, restaurants, tobacconist — Place de la Maourine has been developed over the past ten years. Yet for several years now, it has been associated with drug trafficking offences, contraband cigarette trafficking and violent incidents.
On site, two individuals appear to be trafficking near the shops. A car stops briefly at their level: is this a transaction or a resupply of cigarette packets? The hypothesis cannot be ruled out. One of the two men picks up his telephone moments before a municipal police vehicle circles the square. From that point on, no suspicious behaviour is observed on their part.
"We are afraid, the situation is appalling"
A shopkeeper in the area describes a heavy atmosphere: "We have heard of trafficking near the shops in the surrounding area. Of course we are afraid, the situation is appalling. In the neighbourhood, without having any link to the trafficking, we know it is now well established."
She points notably to the concentration of transactions around the neighbouring tobacconist, which could be subject to temporary administrative closure — a procedure already mentioned in May by ladepeche.fr.
Residents resigned
Among residents, resignation prevails. A regular at the shopping centre confides: "Passing by, I can see that there is trafficking on the square, not far from the metro exit." Another woman, sitting on a bench, states: "I am aware of trafficking in the surrounding area but I do not find myself directly concerned, so we have become accustomed to it."
This feeling of accustomedness illustrates the sustained establishment of the phenomenon in this neighbourhood which was envisioned as a dynamic urban hub in north Toulouse. Illicit cigarette trafficking has settled into the landscape, in the same way as the shops and metro passages.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)