As soon as the sun peeks above Montpon-Ménestérol, drug users gather around the Chandos nautical base. This is one of the places chosen by the gendarmes to carry out drug checks this Wednesday afternoon. These small towns find themselves increasingly confronted with the consumption of illicit products according to the military. The latest report on delinquency figures from the Ministry of the Interior shows a 9% increase in drug use in one year in the department, twice as much as the increase at the national level.
Drugs and a baby
The gendarmes carried out checks this Wednesday afternoon, and found some small quantities of cannabis resin, notably in a car with four friends, including a couple. The dog searches in the vehicle, and discovers some drugs in a tobacco jar, located right next to a car seat with a baby inside.
Matthieu Bonhoure
“This woman naturally told us that she had consumed cannabis the day before, says Romain, chief warrant officer. Unfortunately, it has become commonplace, now everyone can use it, and sometimes it's more like cocaine for example.” This small group was not able to leave with their car, immobilized by the police.
Direct sales with social networks
Law enforcement observe these developments on the ground. For example, the use of social networks which allows young people to buy drugs easily by having direct contact with dealers. “They are following a fad, we must remind them why it is bad, and why it is forbidden”develops Major Georges Soliveau of the Montpon-Ménestérol gendarmerie.
This native of Ile-de-France is already had a post here at the start of his career, for a few months he has been back and he has the feeling that “young people hide less”than before, even if consumption remains hidden from view in most cases. “We are also not sure about the sale being released in front of us, or with people who consume when we pass”he tempers. The military hopes to be able to carry out new operations of this type in the sector, where they rarely come up empty.
France
