Roissy airport is breaking sad records in 2024. Cocaine seizures and the number of “mules” arrested are exploding, revealing the worrying scale of drug trafficking. Discover the underside of this alarming phenomenon which is putting the authorities under pressure…
Worrying things are happening at Roissy airport, the largest in France. For several months, the authorities have been facing a spectacular increase in drug trafficking. Cocaine seizures are breaking records and the number of “mules”, these drug couriers, is literally exploding. A phenomenon that puts customs officers under intense pressure.
The Explosion of Cocaine Seizures in Roissy
The numbers speak for themselves. According to a source close to the case, at the end of November 2024, the competent court for Roissy airport had already identified 250 procedures concerning “mules”, compared to 211 for the whole of 2023. That's a dizzying increase of 18%, even before the end of the year.
As a direct consequence, cocaine seizures are also exploding. If customs refuse to communicate the exact figures, we are talking about a “double-digit increase” compared to the 700 kilos discovered on travelers in 2023. Unheard of.
The Reflection of a Booming European Market
This alarming situation is a direct reflection of the explosion of cocaine consumption in France and Europe. Faced with the saturation of the American market, South American drug traffickers are turning more and more towards the Old Continent, tracking down the slightest loophole to dump their white powder. And Roissy airport, with its 67.4 million annual passengers, offers multiple opportunities.
“90% of drugs pass through sea and land routes. By air, we really only have a very small part of the spectrum”
A customs official in Roissy
But with the strengthening of controls in European ports, traffickers are now banking on the multiplicity of small deliveries by plane to “technically guarantee that there is a regular quantity passing through,” explains this official. Even if it means sacrificing a few “mules” along the way.
Cocaine Mules: Young, Poor and Sacrificed
Because this is the tragedy of this large-scale trafficking: the “mules” are only cannon fodder for the networks. Mostly women, young and poor, they are paid a few thousand euros for the trip, before being abandoned to their fate in the event of arrest.
Recurring scenes at Roissy, panicked passengers, crying, having just swallowed cocaine capsules or hiding it in their bodily orifices. Heavy and time-consuming medical care for airport authorities.
Africa, Traffic Hub
Surprisingly, the largest supply of “mules” does not come from South America, but from West Africa. Because the African continent has become a gigantic rebound zone for Latin American cocaine, before its shipment to Europe. One more level in this sprawling traffic.
Customs Under Pressure
Faced with this unprecedented situation, Roissy customs officers are on permanent duty. Every day, these women and men tirelessly hunt down white powder, in a context of extreme tension. The pressure is all the greater because they know that some traffic inevitably slips through the cracks, despite all their efforts.
An endless fight, therefore, but vital to stem this scourge which is plaguing our societies. Because this cocaine which passes through Roissy, sometimes in sordid conditions, is the same one which will end up consumed in our towns and our countryside, destroying lives in the process. A dark reality, too often ignored, and of which Roissy airport has unwillingly become the symbol in this year 2024.
