An international network that smuggled cocaine, as well as cannabis from Belgium and Morocco, has been dismantled in France, and about 22 individuals have been apprehended, the office of the Public Prosecutor in Marseille mentioned on Friday.
The bust, which resulted from a major investigation led by Marseille, netted the suspected leader of the network along with a “major Marseille drug baron,” Marseille Prosecutor Dominique Laurens highlighted in the statement.
Along with this, the two were among 22 individuals aged 21 to 59 years detained in an operation conducted in five French departments on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The prosecutor’s office asserted, the network imported “large quantities of cocaine from the kingdom of Belgium as well as large quantities of cannabis from Morocco” before selling the drugs in the Paris, Occitanie, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté regions and Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur.
Some of the 291 kgs of cannabis resin, 13 kgs of cocaine, nearly about €130,000 in cash, ten vehicles and, two luxury watches, two weapons were seized at the time of the week’s operation.
In addition, Judicial investigations have been opened on seven of the 22 suspects, including for importing narcotics in a criminal gang and money laundering. Five were remanded into custody. About seven others had yet to appear before the investigating judge.
The investigation was launched in Marseille in March.
