Medicine cost to France and never simply Marseillewithin the backyard area or its poor and unemployed cities within the north of the nation. Within the villages of Provence, on the coast or on the mountain, cocaine and marijuana reign and devour. However heroin has additionally appeared. By no means been seen.
Foreigners fear and promote their sum homesOr in Ales, in Nimes, close to Avignon earlier than this new phenomenon and his violence. In Marseille, from the stigmatized constructing of La Castellane and so -called northern neighborhoods, drug gangs combat their territories and companies with struggle weapons. They’re glowing territories for the police.
A report by the Court docket of Accounts final 12 months confirmed that 79% of 34.934 French municipalities They have been affected by drug trafficking.
All around the nation
No place in France is with out medication, ”mentioned Justice Minister Gérald Darman, who was former inside minister and appears to have presidential aspirations for the 2027 elections.
Whereas Gérald Darman’s rivals criticize his assertion that “No protected locations”He calls for that the police enable the better use of face recognition.
“Drug traffickers have prolonged their affect throughout France. Small rural, as soon as peaceable communities, Now they’re flooded with cocaine and hashish“, The Minister of Justice has identified.
In an interview for Legend, a YouTube channel, Gérald Darmanin mentioned there are not any extra “protected locations”.

“You possibly can clearly see that right this moment, within the smallest rural metropolis there’s cocaine and hashish,” he mentioned. “Earlier than, The drug was merely in large cities or in concealment ” Stated Gérald Darman.
Darman’s opponents claimed that his feedback appeared to be a criticism of his profession as inside minister between 2020 and 2024. It was an implicit critic of administration of President Emmanuel Macron As for the legislation and order since he took the place in 2017, in accordance with opposition MPs.
When requested concerning the combat in opposition to unlawful medication, Darmani appeared to acknowledge the loss in opposition to drug traffickers, which he in comparison with “uncontrolled most cancers”.
What surprises lots of French is that Drug trafficking has turn out to be widespread and is spreading from metastases. It’s now not restricted to the international locations the place we have been searching for a potential downside.
Darmanin appeared much more the federal government’s credibility refusing to speak about drug consumption and trafficking statistics. “Nobody believes within the figures,” he mentioned, implying the issue was undervalue.
Darmanin mentioned drug issues have been traditionally restricted in city areas, to not rural communities. However that they have been now spreading.
Cocaine
Nonetheless, a report from the Court docket of Accounts final 12 months underlined the dimensions of drug trafficking in France. He careworn that 79 % of 34,934 municipalities of the nation have been affected by the issue. Court docket mentioned there have been about three,000 seats the place unlawful medication might be boughtusually on the road, in parking or on the entrance of social housing. He careworn that there have been between 800,000 and 900,000 each day hashish clients in France, although the drug remains to be unlawful.

“The variety of clients of cocaine has tripled in 12 years”Added report. French authorities are notably involved with the rise within the quantity of cocaine that reaches the nation, whether or not on the market or for cargo in different European international locations.
French police seized about 53.5 tons of cocaine final 12 months, in comparison with 23.2 tons of 2023. Territorial disputes between drug gangs are brutal, with ten lifeless final 12 months. 341 others have been injured.
Drug trafficking is now not simply downside of huge cities. The phenomenon impacts the center cities, but in addition the agricultural areas. That is particularly what the mayors of rural municipalities are watching of their respective municipalities. From the Coast of Normandy to Rhone’s mouth, passing via Vosgos, native managers can show, at their stage, for the dimensions of drug trafficking in France.
At a roundtable devoted to the return of rural municipalities for area work, the Senate Analysis Fee on drug trafficking heard the Affiliation of France Presidents and the Presidents of Interplay (AFSA), the Small Metropolis Affiliation (APVF) and the Affiliation of France’s France (AMR).
“There is no such thing as a longer any territory that’s excluded from potential site visitors,” the mayors defined.
On the Coast of Normandy, in The small city of Réville (1,000 inhabitants)About thirty cocaine baggage with a complete weight of about 800 kg appeared on the seashore in February 2023.
This was proven by the town mayor, Yves Aseline, on behalf of the AFS at this roundtable. A unprecedented episode that, nonetheless, testifies to the growth of energy of this kind of site visitors world wide. Increasingly more cocaine baggage seem floating close to the seashore, which aren’t collected by quick boats.

For Michel Fournier, President of Voivres and President of AMRF, “there isn’t any longer any territory excluded from potential site visitors.” Which observes as chairman of an jap municipality are districts from the Netherlands, which “They make the standard Holland-Belgium tour to descend into the Rhone valley.”
Hervé Chérubini, mayor of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, on behalf of APVF, considers that “probably the most affected municipalities are primarily these discovered on the principle border roads. In Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, “we went from 10,000 to 40,000 inhabitants in the summertime,” he defined.
Rural areas, new market
Rural areas immediately deal with this fast growth market. Frédéric Sanchez, commander of Saint-Quentin’s Gendarmerie Firm, was questioned final January, defined that he had seen two kinds of site visitors in rural communities: “Earnings consumer, which will be professionalized, and structured networks, from giant city agglomerations”.
Drug site visitors networks are sober, after all. Nonetheless, what’s much less frequent is using medicines bought for municipal residents. For mayors, past the safety downside that site visitors can generate, Well being is undermined public well being.
The president of rural mayors is afraid that drug use is changing into “an area banality”. As well as, the mayor notes that “These new, very costly consumption are impoverishing the inhabitants.”

The chief of the Mayor of Reville, Asseine Yves is worried concerning the continued use of medication, each in summer season and winter: “80% of consumption is hashish and the remaining, heroin. In my space, I see a cocaine progress, which comes primarily from Latin America. In accordance with Gendarmerie, its value is lowering: 60 euros has handed to 45 euros. ”,
Hervé Chérubini denounces, not with out grief, leisure consumption in excessive society: “Individuals Ask Uber supply for inner consumption Through the events, one thing that has elevated considerably lately. Some arrive with a desk flour, ”he defined.
Lastly, he recalled that drug -related killings value a complete of 49 individuals in Bocas del Rodano in 2023.
“The combat in opposition to trafficking in individuals is just not the duty of the chosen fees,” mentioned Denis Mottier, accountable for the safety and prevention of AFSA crime. Nonetheless, cooperation between the mayor and the police can enable the implementation of a simpler battle in opposition to drug trafficking, “and works properly,” says Yves Aseline.
“The mayors have a job to playAbove all, in prevention and assist. They can’t act immediately, however not directly, ”says Denis Mottier.
The Crime Safety and Prevention Fee works in cooperation with the Interministerial Mission to fight medication and Addictive behaviors (Mildeca), which runs initiatives for mayors.
“Nonetheless, they’re little or no identified for some rural elections,” says Denis Mottier, who defends higher entry to those instruments and coaching for mayors.
Gérald Darmanin defended using facial recognition expertise To combat crime. At the moment, this could solely be utilized in circumstances of absolute want.
“If you would like a protected society, face recognition is required,” he mentioned. He added that France ought to comply with the instance of locations such because the city-state of Singapore, “the place a criminal offense is dedicated and some hours later arrested” because of facial information expertise.
Within the UK, police use this expertise in numerous methods. The Metropolitan Police Web site states it makes use of it ”To forestall and detect crimesto seek out wished criminals, defend weak individuals and defend individuals from any injury. “
Jean-Philippe Tanguy, deputy nationwide regrouping of the Populist right-wing get together, was being deceived: “Is the Minister of Justice conscious that he was the Minister of the Inside for years? It’s unbelievable that he treats the French as silly making allegedly overwhelming statements when his in workplace is so weak and catastrophic. “
Tanguy’s get together suspects Darman, 42, tries to distance himself from Macron in entrance of his 2027 presidency candidacy.
The competitors appears to be fully open. Macron can not seem in a 3rd time period, and Marine Le Pen, a reorganization candidate within the final three elections, has been disabled after a sentence for corruption, Though he hopes to revoke it on enchantment subsequent 12 months.
And not using a clear favourite, Darman believes he will be raised as the pinnacle of the middle -right, following the footsteps of Nicolas Sarkozy, his mentor, who was president from 2007 to 2012.