Customs officers intercepted a 35-year-old man at the Millau viaduct tollbooth on Sunday June 23 who was transporting 396 kg of cannabis on board his vehicle. He acted on a “go fast” type of operation. The individual already had a lengthy criminal record.
Customs officers had to puncture the tires of his car to stop him. Originally from the Paris region, he was tried this Wednesday, June 26 in immediate appearance. If the merits of the case were not addressed by the judges, since the defendant requested time to prepare his defense – until September 25 – a few elements were nevertheless mentioned. Allowing us to better understand the extent of this trafficking and, above all, to discuss the personality and the “heavy” criminal record of the person who was intercepted, even though during the hearing, he chose to remain silent.
Already convicted several times
Already convicted on multiple occasions, mainly in Paris, notably for drug trafficking for which he had already received seven years in prison, the individual explained that he had contracted numerous debts. Which is why he accepted this last mission.
The president of the hearing spoke in a little more detail about this affair which had landed him in prison for seven years. The defendant was thus part of a “very structured” network and he played “an essentially logistical role, but he had admitted his involvement”.
Five people were convicted for this trafficking, the quantities of which were around two tonnes of cannabis, which took place between 217 and 2020.
The public prosecutor, Nicolas Rigot-Muller underlined the “failures of sentence adjustments” and especially “the risk of recidivism”, “and consultation”, with other people involved in the case, to motivate the placement in detention of the accused while awaiting his trial. The magistrate recalled that he faced up to 20 years in prison.
