On Tuesday, July 25, 2023, a woman in her fifties appeared in court for immediate trial in Val de Briey, Meurthe-et-Moselle, after being arrested on July 19, 2023, at the Beaumont tollbooth. While traveling by bus, no less than 30 kilos of cannabis were discovered in her luggage. She was subsequently sentenced to prison. Summary of the facts: On Tuesday, July 25, 2023, a woman in her fifties appeared in court for immediate trial in Val de Briey, Meurthe-et-Moselle, after being arrested on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Beaumont tollbooth while traveling by bus. No less than 30 kilos of cannabis were discovered in her personal belongings. She was subsequently sentenced to prison by the court. The main reason for this conviction is drug trafficking. This 51-year-old woman was arrested last week in Meurthe-et-Moselle, while traveling on a bus between Paris and Frankfurt, Germany.
This information was reported by the newspaper L’Est Républicain on Monday, July 24, 2023. A baggage check was carried out by customs officials on the bus, and a police sniffer dog alerted to the two suitcases belonging to the woman. After a very thorough search, it was discovered that the two suitcases contained nearly 30 kilos of cannabis. The street value of this merchandise is estimated at €140,579.
The woman, of Cuban origin, was then tried in an expedited hearing before the Val de Briey court. Before the judge, the defendant maintained that she was unaware of what she was transporting and that she was simply tasked with delivering the goods to Germany.
She explained to the judge that each trip earned her on average 1,000 euros and that she had carried out at least five such trips, explaining that she needed the money because she was just a cleaning woman and had a child in need of support.
Despite all these arguments, she was unable to convince the judge in charge of the case. The woman in her fifties was ultimately sentenced to 30 months in prison, 24 of which were suspended, and was remanded in custody.
In addition, a 10-year ban from French territory was also imposed, as well as a customs fine of 15,000 euros. Despite the conviction of this drug courier, law enforcement continues its investigations to try to uncover the true masterminds of this drug trafficking operation and to apprehend them.
It should be recalled that on Saturday, May 13th, a shooting took place in Meurthe-et-Moselle less than 300 meters from the police station, prompting local authorities to demand more resources to combat drug trafficking. Police unions and local elected officials complained of being abandoned by the state. Source: https://www.ouest-france.fr/societe/drogue/interceptee-avec-30-kg-de-cannabis-dans-un-bus-elle-ecope-de-prison-ferme-en-meurthe-et-moselle-c494c0c2-2ae5-11ee-8171-e75b52a705d4.
