France
Narcotics raid: Marseilles police under suspicion of corruption
Suddenly under suspicion: Drug investigators from the police in Marseille recently carried out a raid
© Nicolas Tucat / DPA
The Marseille criminal police have declared war on cocaine and cannabis in particular. But now there was a raid on their own house. The suspicion is serious – and is reminiscent of a well-known French film.
In the fight against the escalating drug trade in southern France Marseille has now become the subject of a police raid on the drug investigation in the port city itself. As the newspaper “Le Parisien” reported on Wednesday evening, citing consistent sources, a week ago the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) raided the leading department of the Marseille criminal investigation department, which is responsible for uncovering the largest drug deals.
In addition to numerous alleged violations, there are suspicions of corruption in a respected police department that operates in a region that is particularly hard hit by trafficking in cannabis and cocaine and by deadly drug gangs, the newspaper reported. Telephones and computers were confiscated from the police unit’s premises, but no arrests were made.
France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin currently wants to curb drug trafficking with high-profile raids in numerous cities. “Our fight against drugs and dealers is total,” said the minister. During police operations called “Place Nette” (clean place), officers are sent to problem areas of the city around the clock. In Marseille, the authorities recently spoke of an XXL-sized raid involving around 900 police and customs officers. Last year, 49 people died in drug-related violence in the port city.
Is Marseille losing the war on drug crime?
Prosecutors and judges as well as Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti have recently clashed several times over the issue of drug trafficking in Marseille. The minister reprimanded them for recently publicly addressing the increase in police and judiciary corruption and also for declaring that the war against drug-related crime was being lost in Marseille. Meanwhile, on Monday night, a young man was shot dead in Marseille, presumably by other drug criminals. According to information from “Parisien”, investigators had actually wanted to arrest him on Monday.
The raid on the Marseille drug squad is reminiscent of the 2020 film “Bac Nord” (Bulwark Against Crime), which is based on true events. In an attempt to bring the drug trade in Marseille under control, investigators resort to dubious methods and violate the rules until the judiciary investigates them.