Because the clientele was numerous, a significant traffic in narcotics, mainly cannabis, had developed in the student district of Pont de Bois, in Villeneuve d’Ascq, near Lille. An illicit activity nevertheless practiced in full view of all, the dealers even going so far as to clearly indicate on the walls the places of sale using graffiti. But last Monday, the police services signaled the end of recess and arrested 17 people.
The Lille prosecutor had opened an investigation in mid-2021, when many elements put forward a rise in drug trafficking in this district near the Pont de Bois campus of the University of Lille. “The number of individuals involved and the number of customers have been growing steadily since the end of summer 2021,” said Lille prosecutor Carole Etienne. The favorite places of the dealers were mainly the metro station and the direct surroundings of the campus. The municipal services and the social landlord Vilogia found that “tags and graffiti indicated the points of sale, the products and the prices charged”, continues the prosecutor.
A neighborhood where the police station had been attacked with fireworks
In this district, where deal activity is not new, the police station had also been attacked with fireworks mortars in November 2021. Violence that the prosecution services consider as reprisals after “ control operations or arrests of individuals involved in the traffic”.
This time, the authorities decided to strike a blow. The investigations carried out as part of this investigation made it possible to identify the people involved in the trafficking and to determine the roles of each. The investigators were also able to note that some of the defendants traveled to the Netherlands and Spain and that “wholesale sales” had been concluded “in different municipalities in mainland France”.
A hundred police officers mobilized to carry out the arrests
The file tied up, a hundred police officers were mobilized last Monday to carry out the arrests and searches. No less than 17 suspects were thus placed in police custody, 65,000 euros were seized, 7 kg of cannabis were discovered as well as two 9 mm handguns.
Among the arrested, twelve, including six minors, were referred to the prosecution. During the hearing in immediate appearance on Friday, the major defendants asked for a delay to prepare their defense. Five were placed in pre-trial detention and one under judicial control pending their judgment on May 3. Minors were also placed under judicial supervision.