i will translate for you :
It was a vast international network for the manufacture of synthetic drugs that was dismantled. The operation, launched on Monday after months of investigations under the supervision of the Interregional Specialized Jurisdiction (JIRS) of Marseille, follows the arrest in June 2024 in the Var of two individuals transporting 215 kg of methamphetamine, an exceptional seizure "equivalent on its own to the annual seizures made in France in recent years," emphasized the Marseille prosecutor, Nicolas Bessone, in a statement.
After these initial arrests, the investigation revealed that "400 kg of methamphetamine were produced in the spring of 2024 in a laboratory created from scratch in a luxurious property in the Var hinterland," specified the prosecutor.
"The raw materials, mostly purchased in China, were transported by sea and then by road to companies in the Var, where the network had solid logistical connections," he added, estimating the retail resale turnover at more than 11 million euros, for an initial investment estimated at around 150,000 euros.
The two individuals arrested in June 2024, who belonged to Var’s organized crime, were "partners in this trafficking, with connections to a Mexican cartel that spanned several European countries," according to Nicolas Bessone. Investigators also identified distribution channels involving intermediaries located in Spain and Belgium and discovered "the use of cryptocurrencies to ensure the transfer of funds."
The judicial operation launched on Monday led to the arrest of 15 individuals, mainly in the Var. However, "one of the main leaders of the network was arrested in Belgium by the Liège judicial police, as part of a mutual legal assistance request," the Marseille prosecutor emphasized.
This large-scale operation mobilized 190 personnel from the research section of the Marseille gendarmerie and the Var gendarmerie group, reinforced by personnel from the research sections of Versailles, Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Var, Dordogne, the maritime gendarmerie, the air transport gendarmerie, and the specialized protection platoon of the Cadarache gendarmerie (Bouches-du-Rhône).
Searches led to the seizure of cash, three vehicles, luxury leather goods, numerous mobile phones, and electronic equipment used to detect surveillance systems employed by law enforcement.
Abandoned equipment was also discovered in the villa in the Var hinterland that housed the methamphetamine production laboratory.
At the end of the hearings, eight of the fifteen individuals arrested were charged, notably for importation, production, and international trafficking of narcotics in an organized gang and various forms of money laundering. Six were placed in pre-trial detention and two under judicial supervision.
It was a vast international network for the manufacture of synthetic drugs that was dismantled. The operation, launched on Monday after months of investigations under the supervision of the Interregional Specialized Jurisdiction (JIRS) of Marseille, follows the arrest in June 2024 in the Var of two individuals transporting 215 kg of methamphetamine, an exceptional seizure "equivalent on its own to the annual seizures made in France in recent years," emphasized the Marseille prosecutor, Nicolas Bessone, in a statement.
After these initial arrests, the investigation revealed that "400 kg of methamphetamine were produced in the spring of 2024 in a laboratory created from scratch in a luxurious property in the Var hinterland," specified the prosecutor.
"The raw materials, mostly purchased in China, were transported by sea and then by road to companies in the Var, where the network had solid logistical connections," he added, estimating the retail resale turnover at more than 11 million euros, for an initial investment estimated at around 150,000 euros.
Association with the Mexican cartel
The two individuals arrested in June 2024, who belonged to Var’s organized crime, were "partners in this trafficking, with connections to a Mexican cartel that spanned several European countries," according to Nicolas Bessone. Investigators also identified distribution channels involving intermediaries located in Spain and Belgium and discovered "the use of cryptocurrencies to ensure the transfer of funds."
The judicial operation launched on Monday led to the arrest of 15 individuals, mainly in the Var. However, "one of the main leaders of the network was arrested in Belgium by the Liège judicial police, as part of a mutual legal assistance request," the Marseille prosecutor emphasized.
190 military personnel mobilized
This large-scale operation mobilized 190 personnel from the research section of the Marseille gendarmerie and the Var gendarmerie group, reinforced by personnel from the research sections of Versailles, Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Var, Dordogne, the maritime gendarmerie, the air transport gendarmerie, and the specialized protection platoon of the Cadarache gendarmerie (Bouches-du-Rhône).
Searches led to the seizure of cash, three vehicles, luxury leather goods, numerous mobile phones, and electronic equipment used to detect surveillance systems employed by law enforcement.
Abandoned equipment was also discovered in the villa in the Var hinterland that housed the methamphetamine production laboratory.
At the end of the hearings, eight of the fifteen individuals arrested were charged, notably for importation, production, and international trafficking of narcotics in an organized gang and various forms of money laundering. Six were placed in pre-trial detention and two under judicial supervision.