Rarely has an operation “XXL Net Space” – the nickname of the vast anti-drug campaign – been so talked about. Not only because the searches, carried out on Sunday morning in Avallon, in Yonne, made it possible to get their hands on around twenty gold bars, 7,000 euros in cash, almost a kilo of cocaine… “Weapons were also been seized from one of the protagonists,” specifies 20 minutes the public prosecutor of Auxerre, Hugues de Phily. But also – and above all – because nearly 70 kilos of cannabis resin were discovered in the house of the mayor of the town, Jamilah Habsaoui (various left). The latter, two of her brothers and four other people are still in police custody this Monday.
In total, nearly ten places were searched: the city councilor’s house, but also her workplace – a pharmacy in which she is a compounder – and the town hall. Several other houses, in Avallon and the surrounding area, were targeted. “This is a case that did not happen by chance, we have been on it for several months,” insists the magistrate.
“Operation Place Net allowed us to accelerate this investigation and benefit from additional resources,” adds a source within the gendarmerie. Some 75 gendarmes were mobilized at dawn in this small town of 6,000 inhabitants. Dog teams were also present.
96 hours of police custody
According to our information, the Avallon research brigade had been investigating large-scale drug trafficking in the region for several weeks. Traffic, in which she suspects one of the mayor’s brothers of having a prominent place. The latter has already been convicted of drug trafficking. Jamilah Habsaoui’s house could have been used to store part of the merchandise. However, it remains to be determined whether the latter was aware: according to a source close to the investigation, she did not, in fact, live in the house in which the drugs were found. “Police custody is underway, it should make it possible to determine the possible implications of each party,” insists Hugues from Philly. And remember that in terms of narcotics, these can last up to 96 hours.
Jamilah Habsaoui, 46, originally from Avallon, was elected mayor there in 2021, after joining as a municipal councilor in 2014. She is also the delegated regional councilor in charge of rurality for Burgundy-Franche-Comté.