Cocaine and heroin trafficking in the Jura: 18-year-old Albanian man held in custody until November
An Albanian national aged 18, arrested with cocaine and heroin near Toulouse-le-Château, will remain in custody until 9 November due to lack of legal representation.
Defendant held in custody until trial without legal representation
According to Google News FR — Crime (fr), an 18-year-old man of Albanian nationality appeared on Tuesday 25 August before the criminal court in Lons-le-Saunier, in the Jura, nearly two months after his arrest in possession of a substantial quantity of narcotics.
The facts date back to 29 June. The defendant, barely of age, was transporting cocaine and white heroin on the outskirts of Toulouse-le-Château when the authorities arrested him. At the time of his arrest, he also allegedly refused to provide the access code to his mobile telephone.
The young man appeared at the hearing without a lawyer but assisted by an interpreter in the context of a deferred appearance. Noting the complete absence of any defence, the court offered him the choice between an immediate judgment or an adjournment of the case. Disorientated, the defendant expressed the wish to return to Albania with his family and deferred to the magistrates to guide his decision.
The public prosecutor strongly recommended that he postpone the hearing in order to benefit from the assistance of counsel, emphasising that the nature of the substances transported — cocaine and white heroin — exposed the defendant to a particularly severe sentence. Following this advice, the court ordered him to remain in custody.
The trial is set for 9 November. The case had been initially reported by Le Progrès.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)