Cocaine trafficking between Spain and Gard: six-year prison sentence for two 34-year-old men
Two men from Gard sentenced to six years in prison for trafficking 8 kg of cocaine between Spain and the Saint-Gilles region, with an estimated value of €495,000.
Six years in prison for trafficking eight kilos of cocaine between Spain and Gard
Nîmes criminal court condemned Benjamin S. and Miloud C., both 34 years old, to six years in prison on Wednesday for participating in cocaine trafficking between Spain and the Saint-Gilles region in Gard. The public prosecutor had requested eight years. According to midilibre.fr, which followed the hearing, the seized drug — eight kilogrammes concealed in a hide fitted in a vehicle — represented an estimated retail market value of €495,000.
Gendarmes from the Nîmes investigations unit arrested the two men on 23 June after tailing them, sometimes in real time. Each was driving a separate vehicle: one drove the car carrying the drugs, the other led the way to watch for the presence of police officers, gendarmes or customs officers. An intelligence tip received by the gendarmes had triggered the investigation.
A role as "foot soldiers" claimed
At the hearing, the two defendants limited their admission to that of executors. The one who played the role of scout declared: "My role was to open the way." He clarified that he received €1,700 for this mission, refusing to reveal the names of the network organisers. The driver of the vehicle transporting the drugs claimed to be unaware of the contents of the car he was driving. "I let myself get swept up in trafficking to make a bit of money," he declared before the court, suggesting that an electronic bracelet would be sufficient for his situation.
The investigation revealed regular cross-border movements and returns from Spain. The hide, carefully integrated into the vehicle's interior, was described by investigators as a sign of a certain professionalism in the organisation of the trafficking.
A case adjourned three times
Wednesday marked the third appearance of the two men before Nîmes criminal court. The case had initially been postponed to allow the defence to prepare, then an additional investigation was granted in order to translate a document from Spanish authorities. Before the trial could begin, defence lawyers, Messrs Hugo Ferri and Cyril Caron, raised procedural irregularities. The court chose to join these objections to the merits, examining nullities and facts in a single decision.
The public prosecutor evokes thousands of potential victims
Assistant prosecutor Stéphane Bertrand emphasised the seriousness of the facts, noting that the two men already had previous drug-related convictions. According to him, a quantity of cocaine at this level "will poison several thousand people" in the region. He described the two defendants as "repeat offenders who, without shame, are bringing cocaine into national territory", calling on the court to "signal to them the extreme seriousness of what they have committed". He had requested eight years in prison for each and continued detention.
Messrs Ferri and Caron attempted to limit their clients' responsibility to that of mere executors, with Mr Ferri considering that the sentences sought were "vertiginous". After deliberation, the court rejected the nullities raised by the defence and handed down a sentence of six years in prison against each of the two men, coupled with continued detention.
A region already marked by cocaine trafficking
The Saint-Gilles region, designated as one of the distribution points for the product, has already been affected by several cocaine cases at a comparable level, according to information recalled at the hearing. A kilogramme of cocaine trades in this type of circuit between €25,000 and €30,000, according to estimates presented during the trial.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)