It is only an experiment but it is effective for a certain time. The Cayenne prosecutor’s office has been testing since July 1 the classification without prosecution of seizures of less than 1.5 kg of cocaine in Guyana, a hub for trafficking to France in order to “reduce the burden” of drug trafficking on the criminal chain.
In this letter consulted by AFP and addressed to the heads of the police, the gendarmerie and the customs of Guyana, the prosecutor Yves Le Clair justifies this “criminal policy on an experimental basis” by his desire “to increase the taking of material reducing the impact on services”. This experiment also aims “to increase the effort on violence committed on public roads and arms trafficking”.
RPF registration
Thus, “for quantities of cocaine up to 1.5 kg”, mainly “in corpore”, that is to say in the form of ova ingested by “mules” leaving for Orly airport , it is possible to use a “simplified procedure” and to notify, in agreement with the prosecution, “a closing under conditions” of the case. The person arrested is then released with a ban on appearing at Cayenne airport “for six months”, a “registration with the RPF” [Fichier des personnes recherchées] and “information from the customs service”.
Between 1.5 and 4 kg, the suspect receives directly from the judicial police officer a summons to appear in court, either for a classic hearing, or a hearing on prior recognition of guilt (CRPC or “plea-guilty”). Beyond 4 kg, the trafficker is presented to the prosecution for a CRPC, if he recognizes the facts, or an immediate appearance if he disputes them.
A review in September
“A report on the relevance of these measures will be carried out in September”, concludes the prosecutor in his letter. “How can we arrive at a criminal policy of this nature for cocaine trafficking, of which Guyana is the main point of entry into mainland France? We can always ask the police for more, but not by scuttling their action, ”the Synergy-Officers union reacted on Twitter.
In Guyana, Felix-Éboué airport is the main exit door to France and serves the Paris airports of Roissy and Orly. According to the prefect Thierry Queffelec, 20% of the cocaine consumed in France comes from Guyana.