He almost lost his skin there. On March 15, 2024, the man everyone nicknamed Al, 42 years old, was found unconscious by the cleaning lady of the Airbnb accommodation that one of his friends had rented in Bordeaux. He will spend several hours in a coma before being out of danger.
Al appeared this Monday before the Bordeaux Criminal Court for illicit importation, acquisition, transport, offer or transfer of substances or plants classified as narcotics (3-MMC (a synthetic drug also called metaphredone), GBL, cocaine, ecstasy and MDMA) between January 1, 2021 and March 16, 2024. Unknown to the police, he was sentenced to ten months in prison, nine of which were suspended.
“Chemsex”, “major public health problem”
The profile of this atypical “dealer”, who is above all, by his own admission, very addicted to 3-MMC can explain the leniency of the court. The fact remains that since March 13, the forty-year-old had engaged almost continuously in “chemsex” sessions, namely sexual relations under the influence of synthetic drugs, with three other friends. Sessions described by prosecutor Marion Mare as a “major public health problem” while in March, three people died in Bordeaux in the context of these “chemsex” evenings.
It was during one of these parties that Al said he accidentally ingested a bit of GBL (industrial solvent used as a drug) while taking medication the day after the party. In his apartment, packaging materials for various synthetic drugs and narcotics were found.
“Impressed” to be in front of the magistrates
On Monday, he was a tall man with a shaved head, who struggled to develop his answers and who said he was “disturbed”, “impressed” to be facing the magistrates. It is his advisor, Me Anaïs Karapetian, who will put his problems into words. From the age of 8, Al discovered a passion for a team sport which he practiced at a high level and as a professional until he was 24.
“During a competition, an injury to his left knee put an end to his dreams,” says his lawyer. He sinks into depression before finally finding a job he loves, that of a caregiver. But after sixteen years of practice, his knee injury made him unable to continue in a profession where one was often on his feet. “Once again, he is forced to put an end to an activity that he loves,” points out his advice. A romantic separation just before confinement will eventually make him fall back into depression.
On Grindr, a dating app for homosexual or bisexual men, Al comes to discover “another side of his personality with chemsex evenings,” continues Me Anaïs Karapetian. It was during these events that he became addicted to 3-MMC. “This is the real descent into hell,” she says. He cannot help but obtain it and consume it with ecstasy or other substances, the effects of which last several days. »
“The 3-MMC got the better of him”
With only a few euros in the bank, Al is far from the image of a drug dealer who combines a high lifestyle and luxury goods. “3-MMC got the better of him,” summarizes his lawyer. “I take a lot, I prick myself several times a day,” the forty-year-old told the police in March. “And instead of reselling you inject it,” says the president of the court, considering the former athlete’s income which has fallen.
Al is already followed by the Case (reception and support center for reducing the risks of drug users in Bordeaux) and the Ceid (study and information committee on drugs and addictions). At the end of 2023, he confided “having stopped for a week or ten days, which is huge” for him. “I think my family will help me a lot,” he admits today. His mother will take him in until he gets back on his feet.