a researcher welcomes “the beneficial awareness” in France, but considers the term “Mexicanization” “excessive”

Bertrand Monnet assures that “the influence of organized crime in France is fortunately much less profound than it is in Mexico”.

The term “mexicanisation”used by the Ministers of the Interior and Justice to talk about the state of drug trafficking in France, is “excessive”estimates Friday November 8 on franceinfo Bertrand Monnet, researcher specializing in the economics of crime. The Ministers of the Interior Bruno Retailleau and of Justice Didier Migaud are going to Marseille this Friday to announce measures intended to strengthen the fight against drug trafficking.

With the DZ Mafia, one of the main drug trafficking groups in Marseille, “we are a long way from what a Mexican cartel is”continues the researcher. “The influence of organized crime in France is fortunately much less profound than in Mexico,” he says.

However, he judges that “the awareness in France is completely beneficial”. “Reacting so quickly would allow us to avoid what happened in Belgium and the Netherlands, who did not want to see the reality of the gangrenisation of part of their society by crime, which is become an organized crime.he explains. “The 'Mocro Maffia' developed because the public authorities did not have the awareness that we see today in France”he notes.

To fight against drug trafficking, he suggests working “upstream” et “in endorsement”. According to him, it is necessary to ensure “that narcotics cannot profit from the money of their crime”. That is to say, as the ministers propose, “strengthen the financial police, the action of magistrates in the fight against financial crime”. “But it’s not enough”he warns, “because narcotics launder part of their money in France, but also through trusts and banking havens”.

Furthermore, Bertrand Monnet proposes to act “by penalizing”but also “by acting on prevention”, pour “make the consumer of these products understand their dangerousness”with “massive prevention campaigns”. The researcher also suggests “constrain the production of cannabis”particularly in Morocco, “by diplomatic action”.