Twenty suspects were arrested this Monday morning in Nîmes (Gard), as part of an anti-drug operation. 20 minutes explains to you what we know about this vast search, carried out as part of an investigation into drug trafficking, in the Pissevin district.
Who was arrested this Monday morning?
It was at dawn, this Monday morning, that 20 people were arrested at their homes, before being placed in police custody, said Cécile Gensac, the public prosecutor of Nîmes, in a press release. These individuals are suspected of being involved in a vast drug trafficking network in the Pissevin district. Investigations continue during police custody.
How many police officers participated in this operation?
In total, more than 250 police officers were mobilized to carry out this vast search this Monday morning, details the Nîmes prosecutor. This intervention was carried out by police officers from the Gard Departmental Security and the National Investigation Unit, supported by teams from the Raid, the BRI, the CRS 8 and dog teams.
What do we know about this drug trafficking network?
These arrests are the result of an investigation, which has been carried out for several months, into drug trafficking in the Pissevin district. In July, as well as in November, several searches carried out by police officers from the Gard Departmental Security led to the seizure of 8 kg of cannabis herb, 7 kg of cannabis resin, 1.3 kg of cocaine and 500 ecstasy pills. The police also found several thousand euros in cash, as well as firearms.
Pissevin, weighed down by drug trafficking
In Nîmes, the Pissevin district has, for several years, been weighed down by drug trafficking and score-settling. On August 21, a 10-year-old child was killed when the car he was in found itself in the middle of a shootout between gangs fighting for control of the deal points. Two days later, a young man aged 18 was killed in the same neighborhood.