New large-scale seizure as part of the “place net” anti-narcotics operations, launched several weeks ago throughout France. This time, it was the residence of a municipal elected official that was searched. Nearly 70 kilos of cannabis were discovered in the residence of the mayor of Avallon, a small town in the Yonne department, southeast of Paris.
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It is 6 a.m. this Sunday morning when the Yonne gendarmerie forces begin yet another anti-drug operation. This time, it is the town of Avallon – 6,000 inhabitants – which is targeted. Several searches were carried out simultaneously, including one in a residential building in which the search brigade, supported by dog teams, discovered nearly 70 kilos of cannabis.
The property would belong to the city’s mayor, Jamilah Habsaoui, elected to various left-wing positions since 2021. A house in which the elected official’s brother would live, indicates the local press, who would have already been convicted of drug trafficking a few years ago. years.
Seven people arrested
According to a source close to the investigation, seven people were arrested, including the mayor and at least one member of her family. The locations of the searches were not chosen at random: the town of Avallon is at the heart of a long-term preliminary investigation.
Another search was also carried out at the mayor’s workplace, according to a source close to the matter cited by Agence France-Presse, who added that Ms. Habsaoui, also a regional councilor, would be placed in police custody at the outcome of the searches.
The public prosecutor of Auxerre, Hugues de Phily, did not wish to communicate immediately, specifying that “ searches and hearings [étaient] in progress “.
The “clear place” system, launched by Gérald Darmanin, the French Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, in the last quarter of 2023, accelerated procedures and allowed law enforcement to benefit from additional means to carry out their actions against drug trafficking.
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