This is the largest seizure ever made in France of this gas whose use is diverted. In a hangar in Noisiel, in Seine-et-Marne, the investigators of the departmental security of the Rhône got their hands on 16 tons of nitrous oxide bottles, or 6.8 tons of encapsulated gas. Shortly before this exceptional discovery, made on December 9, the police arrested two men and took them into police custody. One of them, 34 years old and already known to their services, is suspected of being at the head of a vast traffic which irrigated France with this laughing gas nicknamed “proto”.
The case, revealed by The world, dates back to last summer. The police began to take an interest in this network which sold its merchandise by offering it in particular on Snapchat. An investigation was opened by the public prosecutor’s office in Lyon for “hidden work in an organized gang”, “street vendor” and “sale or distribution of a product specifically intended to facilitate the extraction of nitrous oxide to obtain the psychoactive effects. “.
135 tonnes of “prototypes” sold
Over the counter, this laughing gas – which can be found in the form of cartridges for whipped cream siphons or in the medical environment for anesthetic purposes – is popular with party-goers and young people, who divert its use for its euphoric effect. despite the risks. However, since June 1, 2021, a law prohibits “to sell and distribute” this product “in order to obtain psychoactive effects”, under penalty of a fine of 3,750 euros.
Since then, the police have increased checks on traders who sell them. But parallel channels have seized on this business less risky than drug trafficking, but very lucrative. They are organizing themselves to meet growing demand.
[#Interpellations] Record seizure of 16 tonnes of nitrous oxide bottles in #Seine et Marne :
➡️or 7 tonnes of encapsulated gas
➡️ market value of € 2.75 million
➡️3 people arrested
⚠️Use nitrous oxide in #Laughing gas is dangerous for health! pic.twitter.com/9EpVekzV2k– National Police (@PoliceNationale) January 3, 2022
On September 27, the Rhone police continued their investigation and discovered, in one in apartments and a warehouse in Villeurbanne, the first four tons of nitrous oxide, 8,000 euros and 92 pyrotechnic devices and arrested three individuals. The investigations quickly make it possible to identify a man suspected of being at the head of this network. On December 9, he and his accomplice were arrested at around 2.15 a.m., at Le Bourget, in Seine-Saint-Denis, when he was returning from a stay in Belgium and the Netherlands.
At the end of their police custody, they were indicted by an investigating judge who opened a judicial investigation and placed in pre-trial detention. According to police estimates, the network would have, in seven months, imported and sold on the territory 135 tons of “proto”.