“In the field despite my 12 years when all my friends are having fun, the street killed my childhood so don’t call the Samu”, rapped the character of Apash in the first season of Valid. In Compiègne, in the Oise, it is the sadly similar story of a young boy who is now in the hands of justice.
Monday, in the sensitive city of Clos des Roses, in Compiègne, the police officers of the local police station carried out a surveillance and security operation as they are used to. It was then that the officers noticed the presence of a young man who was not unknown to them. “It is a minor whose presence had been noticed several times near the deal points since last summer”, assures Marie-Céline Lawrysz, prosecutor of Compiègne.
When he is only 12 years old, it is in possession of 400 grams of heroin, 150 grams of cannabis, 8 grams of cocaine and a sum of around 500 euros that the police have him control.
“He quickly rose through the ranks of traffic”
Once again, the teenager was arrested. “He had already been on several occasions since August 2022. Each time, the police had found large sums of money or narcotics on him”, assures the magistrate. When he arrived in the area, the boy was only a lookout, “he quickly climbed the ladder of traffic and he now appears to be a seller, in particular of heroin”, she continues. A “coalman”, not yet at the head of his own network.
Now known as a “street dealer” in Compiègne, the young boy is from Bobigny, where he navigated between several homes. “It was because he was in danger in his family that he was placed by the Childhood Social Assistance, not because he was a delinquent”, underlines the prosecutor. It was after several escapes from these homes that he found himself caught up in traffic in this district of Compiègne.
What future for the teenager? The principle for a minor under 13 is the presumption of non-discernment. “Before the age of 13, a child is almost irresponsible in criminal terms, except to demonstrate his discernment through various elements of the investigation and the child’s environment”, explains Marie-Céline Lawrysz. In the present case, this minor has already been recognized as “discerning” and tried twice by the juvenile court. However, it is not known whether any sentences have been imposed.
After his detention at the Compiègne police station, the boy was placed in a home for juvenile delinquents. “It remains rare to see such young minors involved in drug trafficking. We have already had a few cases, and they are also major today, ”notes the magistrate.