Justice in France has dismantled a large drug network with pill swallowers, the supply of which takes place from Suriname. The drug line ran from Paramaribo via Cayenne (French Guiana) to France and then to other European countries. For example, a Surinamese grocer in Antwerp came into view and eleven suspects were arrested. That writes Key News.
Key figure
The investigation, in collaboration with the French Anti-Narcotics Agency l’Ofast, started in February 2022 after a few drug swallowers were arrested within a short time when they traveled to Périgueux, a city in the Dordogne department in southwestern France. Soon a 30-year-old man came into the picture as a key figure in the drug network.
Identical method
In December 2022, l’Ofast and the local police in Bordeaux managed to arrest two drug couriers when they arrived from French Guiana each with about 1 kilo of cocaine, divided into 120 swallowed globules of 10 grams. Investigations by the French police would show that the drug traffickers recruit their couriers in the same way as in Suriname and French Guiana.
Young women
Young women in particular are said to be used to smuggle drugs, according to the French authorities, as evidenced by the rapidly increasing number of foreign trips by young women with a background in French Guiana. The drug trade is associated with human traffickers from the town of Périgord (Dordogne department) who also targeted young women.
Antwerp
At the beginning of this year, a wave of arrests led the French police to follow a trail of the network to a Surinamese grocery store in Antwerp, where a dealer was laundering money from the sale of cocaine. Two months later, three other key figures in French Guiana were arrested and taken to France. Meanwhile, two couriers of the network had been arrested abroad with thousands of euros worth of cocaine. Nine suspects have been charged in total. Two others who are also being prosecuted have been placed under judicial supervision.
Public transport
In an effort to curb cocaine distribution in France, arrests regularly take place at bus, tram and train stations. Many smugglers use public transport. In October 2022, a 100% control system has been set up for passengers traveling from Cayenne (French Guiana) to mainland France.
The use of automatic license plate recognition on the way to airports, millimeter wave scanners, video surveillance cameras and checks by dog teams will also increase in 2022. The French authorities have not yet succeeded in stopping the supply from Suriname.
