The observation is scathing. The Senate commission of inquiry into drug trafficking judged, Tuesday, May 14, that the anti-drug plan that the government must present soon was “starving” and was “not up to the challenges”.
During a press conference, the president of the commission, Jérôme Durain, explained that he had had access to the government’s new plan and estimated that it was “falling short” of the previous plan.
The creation of a national prosecutor’s office
The senatorial commission of inquiry into drug trafficking in France proposed on Tuesday the creation of a national anti-narcotics prosecutor’s office (Pnast) and to make the Anti-narcotics Office (Ofast) a “French-style DEA”, based on the model of the American anti-drug agency, giving it full authority over field services.
“This new prosecution will make it possible to specialize and embody the fight against drug trafficking (…) and we have the ambition to make Ofast a French-style DEA. This implies real authority over investigations and resources ” allocated to the fight, announced at a press conference senators Jérôme Durain (PS) and Etienne Blanc (LR), president and rapporteur of the commission of inquiry. In total, the commission presented 35 proposals to try to combat drug trafficking.
A “direct threat to the interest of the nation”
Jérôme Durain judged that drug trafficking constituted “a direct threat to the interest of the nation” and this “new prosecution will make it possible to specialize and embody the fight against drug trafficking in the judicial sphere”.
“Corollary of this organization, on the repressive side, we must strengthen Ofast created in 2019, leader of the fight against narcotics but which today is only in title,” continued the president of the commission. “We have the ambition,” he said, “to make ofast a French-style DEA. This implies real authority over investigations and means to fight.”
In its report, the commission was critical of the results of the “net places” and “XXL net places” operations in view of the considerable resources deployed. “They are useful but the results are modest.” The commission insisted on the importance of hitting traffickers in the wallet. Etienne Blanc recalled that the turnover of drug trafficking in France represented “between three and six billion euros” per year. But, he added, only 100 million euros are seized.” “It is clearly insufficient.” On this aspect, the commission suggests making asset investigations “systematic in all investigations.” It proposes in in addition to the fact that “front businesses” which are used to launder drug money are “subject to administrative closures”.
Another proposal: the creation of an “injunction for unexplained wealth” when “a network falls”. We must ask “traffickers how they have constituted their assets (…) and if they do not succeed, they are exposed to seizure or confiscation”, explained Étienne Blanc.
Finally, the two senators insisted on the fight against corruption, which takes the form, for example, of consulting police files, purchasing services from dock workers, etc. “It is time to react before experiencing the same fate as neighboring countries,” said Jérôme Durain, for whom “the risk is immense.” “There is no low-level corruption.”