Air Cocaine trial: seven convicted in France, ringleader gets 18 years
A French court sentenced seven people in the "Air Cocaine" drug case, with ringleader Ali Bouchareb receiving 18 years. Two ex-pilots got six years each.
Seven convicted in France's "Air Cocaine" drug smuggling case
A French court handed down prison sentences to seven defendants on Friday in the long-running "Air Cocaine" case, france24.com reports, with ringleader Ali Bouchareb receiving the heaviest term of 18 years.
The case traces back to March 2013, when Dominican police discovered 680 kilogrammes of cocaine packed into 26 suitcases aboard a Falcon 50 private jet at the Punta Cana beach resort. The aircraft was bound for Saint-Tropez in southern France.
Five French magistrates deliberated for 11 hours before delivering their verdicts. Bouchareb's right-hand man, Frank Colin, was sentenced to 12 years. Colin was the only defendant to have admitted involvement in the smuggling operation, though he claimed he had in fact been acting as an "infiltrated agent." Former customs agent François-Xavier Manchet received five years in prison and was permanently barred from working as a civil servant.
Two of the nine defendants were acquitted following the seven-week trial.
Former air force pilots Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos each received six-year sentences. The pair had originally fled the Dominican Republic after the raid on the jet they were due to fly, escaping to French Caribbean territory under unexplained circumstances. They were re-arrested upon returning to the French mainland in November 2015. In 2015, a Dominican court had already convicted them in absentia and sentenced them to 20 years for drug trafficking.
Bouchareb was the only defendant held in custody throughout the proceedings; the remaining eight had been granted bail.
As the verdicts were announced, people close to the defendants reacted with outrage. "It's a scandal! It's political! There is no justice..." those in the courtroom were heard shouting.
Source: Google News DM — Crime