“A first in France”: a Canadian criminal group suspected of having imported 3 tonnes of cannabis herb

A vast cannabis traffic by air freight, from Canada, was dismantled in early May by the police.

In total, 3 tonnes of drugs were imported.

In Canada, the cultivation of cannabis being legal, the traffickers sent their cargo to Paris like any other product.

A vast operation against drug trafficking took place in early May in the Paris region and in Quebec against a group of Canadian individuals suspected of having imported three tonnes of cannabis grass into Europe via the freight of Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle airport, the French gendarmerie announced on Wednesday.

Since January, police and gendarmes have been investigating an organized network of original traffickers neither in Europe, nor from the Maghreb but of Canada: “Cannabis generally comes from Spain, cannabis from Canada is a kind of novelty. Never has an investigation demonstrated the existence of a network organized in Canada, it is the first time on national territory”is surprised Dimitri Zoulas, police controller and chief of the anti-structuring office (OFAST).

10 individuals arrested

Why does such a network work from Canada? The production and consumption of cannabis has been legal for seven years but the supply is today greater than demand. Traffickers are therefore looking for new outlets. To export such quantities to France, their strategy was well established. They usurped the identity of a bed linen company to load freight aircraft. In the middle of boxes of sheets and duvet covers, others are filled with cannabis.

Since last October, every 15 days, an airplane left Montreal airport and landed in Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle. The goods were then transported to a warehouse in Argenteuil. Canadian and French authorities have arrested ten individuals simultaneously, including seven in France.

“There is a strong demand in France”

Why target French territory? “There is a strong demand in France for cannabis grass that responds to quality standards. The price of the product is much more expensive and if the product is much more expensive, the margin of criminal organization, the lucrative aspect will be much more profitable for such an organization”explains Jacque Croly, head of the OFAST operational pole.