Bruno Retailleau and Didier Migaud are present this Friday in Marseille to unveil a series of measures intended to strengthen the fight against drug trafficking in the country.
The Ministers of the Interior Bruno Retailleau and of Justice Didier Migaud are in Marseille this Friday, November 8 to present the main points of the government plan to fight organized crime. The choice of the Marseille city for the announcement of these measures aimed at combating drug banditry is not insignificant, as it has become the scene of a bloody war between gangs. They will first be received by the mayor of the city, Benoît Payan.
On the program for the two ministers, a first visit to the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture to meet associations and families of victims of assassinations linked to drug trafficking. A press conference is planned so that the two men can detail their measures and their action plan. Subsequently, Bruno Retailleau will meet police personnel from the northern districts of Marseille while Didier Migaud will take charge of the Beaumettes prison, before joining the Marseille judicial court for discussions withthe heads of court and jurisdiction as well as the staff of the Specialized Inter-regional Jurisdiction.
Bruno Retailleau promises a “very firm response from the State”
After several shootings in Marseille, Bruno Retailleau indicated that France found itself at a “tipping point” in the face of drug trafficking, under the threat of “Mexicanization”, in reference to the tense situation on the border between the United States. and Mexico. A term deemed “excessive” by Bertrand Monnet, researcher specializing in the economics of crime, in the columns of France Info. “In Mexico, we fall under bombs for nothing. In France, it is a red line, which pushes politicians to take up the subject (…) The situation is much more worrying in Mexico”, estimates Clotilde Champeyrache, specialist in criminal economics and author of Mafia geopoliticsstill at France Info.
For his part, the Minister of Justice says he is “totally in tune” with his Interior counterpart. As a reminder, the turnover from drug trafficking is estimated between 3.5 and 6 billion euros per year in France. A “very firm response from the State” is planned, affirmed Bruno Retailleau.
The creation of a national prosecutor’s office to combat organized crime
The government plan presented this Friday in Marseille is inspired by the work of senators Etienne Blanc and Jérôme Durain. For example, it should involve the creation of a national prosecutor’s office to combat organized crime. The objective? Track traffickers even beyond French borders, with an “anti-narco” judge dedicated to these cases. Bruno Retailleau and Didier Migaud will also announce several clear measures.
First, the strengthening of the repentant status. Then, the creation of a new crime for criminals linked to drug trafficking. The sentences could rise to 20 years in prison. The establishment of a stricter detention regime is also expected, to try to avoid assassinations ordered by traffickers from their prison cells. The resources allocated to investigation to dismantle certain networks sooner should also be increased, with greater freedom for the police. A new feature already announced to JDNEWS by the Minister of the Interior earlier in the week.