Jean-Claude Pautot, former robber turned artist, arrested in a case of cocaine trafficking


Jean-Claude Pautot, who became a painter after 25 years in prison, could be linked to a case in which more than a ton of cocaine was seized.

The former robber turned artist Jean-Claude Pautot was arrested at the end of December in Spain, suspected of links in a cocaine trafficking case.

According to JDD , which reveals the case, more than a ton of cocaine had been seized on December 27 aboard a sailboat off the Azores, and in the suburbs of Paris. The traffic would have been between Venezuela and Europe, passing through Martinique. It was the French anti-narcotics office, Ofast, as well as Spanish investigation services that had followed this file.

Two former convicts were arrested, in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique) and Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), before Jean-Claude Pautot was in turn arrested. We do not know for the moment the possible suspicions or charges against him, neither the Paris prosecutor’s office nor the Ofast having yet communicated about him. An official communication from the Spanish authorities is expected next week.

A former figure of banditry in France, the actor has been convicted several times for robberies and bank attacks. He spent 25 years in prison, and fifteen years on the run. In detention, he discovered painting and became involved in it, gaining success with the world of contemporary art, particularly during exhibitions in prestigious galleries. He also acted in a film by Louis Garrel, The Innocenta project that took him to the steps of the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022.

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