“I didn’t have to arrive for there to be drugs in Auch”: the head of the cocaine and heroin trafficking network sentenced to 5 years in prison

Thirteen defendants. Ten free, three in pre-trial detention. Two women, eleven men. An established leader and well-defined roles. But what level of responsibility for the twelve other protagonists? It is to this question that the Auch criminal court was to provide an answer this Friday, May 3, at the end of two days of hearing. A Gers cocaine and heroin trafficking network had been brought before the courts since the day before: the latter had established itself and developed very quickly in the Auscita region.

“During the procedure, an organization chart was established and presented to you,” reminds the president of the court, Philippe Rigault, to the defendants. On this scale of positions in the network, three levels were established by the investigators, depending on the roles of each person. Levels that are contested by several defendants and lawyers.

A “business manager” at the head of the network

The direction of the network is not in doubt. The organization was led by Théo*, 39 years old, married and father of one child. The date of his arrival in the Gers, from the Paris region, is not very clear. But he led the trafficking of hard drugs between October 2021 and March 2023. “I couldn’t find a job, I was caught by the throat. I looked for the easy way”, seems to justify the ringleader during the hearing. Described by the prosecution as a “real business leader”, Théo “analyzed the market and launched an aggressive commercial policy”, describes Philippe Rigault. “You brought down the local market.” The organization of the network was perfectly structured. “It’s a bit like UberEats.”

The defendant, after minimizing the facts during the investigation, admits to having directed the network but claims to have responded to requests from other dealers, higher up in the chain of command. “This method and development were imposed on me,” he explains, denying that he made as much profit as the investigation estimated (around €200,000). “The money that is in the photos, it was not mine, I was responding to the directives.” Théo claims to have been overwhelmed by the development of traffic: “I didn’t want this scale, I was in a bubble”.

“Vulnerable people”

A “bubble” which employed at least a dozen other protagonists during the 18 months of activity of the network. “Among your colleagues, eleven have addictions,” underlines prosecutor Noémie Paysant. “You are one of the only ones not to use narcotics…” Heroin, cocaine, cannabis, alcohol… Around ten defendants are polydrug addicts and assure, during their trial, that they did not make any profit but were well paid in drugs, thus ensuring their daily needs.

The same logic seemed to apply to each reseller: in contact with Théo to buy their drinks, he offered them the opportunity to become sellers. He would then pass the goods over to them, send out the customers and collect the money. Implying, for many, an increase in their consumption. “I had tried to reduce it before meeting him,” assures Mathieu*, 29, who has been in pre-trial detention since his arrest. “I was using about 1.5 grams of heroin a day. But when I became a dealer, my consumption increased a lot. At the end, I was at 4 grams a day.” An “exploitation” of “vulnerable people” denounced by several lawyers. “All the people here didn’t need me,” defends the main defendant. “I didn’t have to arrive for there to be drugs in Auch.”

5 years in prison for Théo

The degree of autonomy and independence of each reseller is also examined by the court. Some defendants are considered higher-ranking, because it seems that they benefited from greater autonomy in the choice of clients and possible advances. However, all the lawyers assure that this is not a “criminal association”, as the defendants are accused of. “Théo was the principal, it was more subordination than association,” assures Maître Noémie Duprat, Mathieu’s lawyer. “When the remuneration is in narcotics, we build consumer loyalty, there is a hold,” estimates François Roujou de Boubée, lawyer for one of the dealers.

“We want to make my client the Pablo Escobar of Gers,” denounces Maître Jean-Loup Vivier, counsel for the main suspect. “It’s laughable. Traffickers were there before him and after him. The figures attributed are illusory, the case is largely overrated. Everyone should take their responsibilities”, believing that certain defendants would minimize their responsibility to the detriment of Théo, for whom a sentence of 7 years in prison was requested Thursday evening.

Finally, the court acquitted, this Friday, May 3, at the end of the trial, all of the individuals for the acts of “criminal conspiracy” and pronounced sanctions lower than those required by the prosecution. Suspended sentences are announced for five people (four of whom are suspended on probation) and five mixed sentences fitted with an electronic bracelet are decided. The two individuals who were already in detention will remain in detention for a period of two years. Théo, the leader of the group, receives a five-year prison sentence and remains in detention. “The aim of these sentences is to ensure that you can escape this spiral”, specifies the president of the court before warning the defendants. “It’s about putting your own responsibilities in your hands.”