Europe 1 with AFP
modified to
12:13 p.m., March 01, 2023
Drug seizures broke a new record in 2022 in France and reached a historic level of more than 157 tonnes intercepted, cannabis and cocaine in the lead, according to figures released Wednesday by the authorities.
French authorities seized 156.7 tonnes of drugs in 2022, a “historic” level, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Wednesday. “The fight against drug trafficking is more than ever the mother of all battles”, hammered Gérald Darmanin during a joint press conference alongside the Ministers of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti and Public Accounts Gabriel Attal.
A “historical” entry
In detail, 128 tons of cannabis were seized (+15% compared to the previous year), at “no comparable level”, according to the Minister of the Interior. In 2022, 27 tonnes of cocaine (+5%) were seized, 55% of which came from the West Indies and Guyana. “We must prevent this white tsunami from reaching our shores,” said Gabriel Attal.
The Minister of Public Accounts, on which customs depend, announced that a “historic” cocaine seizure had been made on February 19 by his services in the port of Le Havre, with 1.9 tonnes of powder intercepted in a few days. He said the government would show “neither angelism nor cowardice” to fight drug trafficking. Finally, 1.4 tons of heroin (+8%) and 273 kg of synthetic drugs (+21%) were seized in France in 2022.