“A spectacular increase”. The figures for seizures in the Pyrénées-Orientales delivered by the prefect, Rodrigue Furcy, and the public prosecutor of Perpignan, Jean-David Cavaillé show a very strong increase over the year 2022. Even if those of 2021 are to be put into perspective, since the year had been cut short by episodes linked to Covid-19.
In this department bordering Spain, tobacco trafficking is particularly at the center of the attention of the police, customs officers, gendarmes and police. “We are seeing very sustained activity due to the price difference between the two countries. We have made very significant progress in this fight against tobacco, it is a national priority, ”recalls the prefect. Thirty-eight tons of contraband cigarettes were intercepted, compared to 20 a year earlier, a sharp increase of 93%.
The mobile gendarmes should remain in Perpignan
If it is substantial, cigarette trafficking only corresponds to part of the list of police forces in the Pyrénées-Orientales. During the year 2022, 18 tonnes of cannabis were stolen from the networks (compared to 12 a year earlier). The track record in the fight against drugs does not stop at seizures alone. According to the prefect, nearly half of the known deal points in the department (eleven out of twenty-three) have been dismantled. As such, the reinforcement of a squadron of mobile gendarmerie in the police district of Perpignan was widely exploited. Soldiers whose presence is, for the moment, extended in the prefecture of Pyrénées-Orientales.
“Drug trafficking is the basis of crime, believes Rodrigue Furcy. These actions have had a real impact in the neighborhoods of Perpignan. Especially on the consumer. In 2022, law enforcement agencies engaged in control operations were asked to systematically issue a fixed tort fine to consumers”. 637 people were fined in this way, while the number of operations carried out for narcotics tracking (around 1,200) was tripled from one year to the next.