A mayor of a small French city and his deputy are to face trial for complicity in drug trafficking in a case that reveals the extent to which drug lords dominate some rural communities.
Caught in procedural points since Might 27, the trial within the Paris suburb of Bobigny is suspended till Monday.
The felony court docket of Seine-Saint-Denis was overwhelmed by the calls for of the protection attorneys who prevented any examination of the information in opposition to 19 accused.
Amongst them is the previous mayor and vice mayor of the small city of Canteleu. They seem in reference to a big cocaine, heroin and hashish trafficking ring – suspected to be led by the scary Meziani household of France.
Police say Canteleu, a working-class city of 14,000 individuals in Normandy, has been the middle of an unlimited drug-trafficking operation for 15 years.
The landmark case make clear the affect of drug trafficking on a large scale in a small municipality.
The previous mayor of Canteleu Mélanie Boulanger, 47, denies involvement.
Elected mayor in 2014, Boulanger is a number one socialist determine in Normandy politics. She is suspected of pressuring the police to not intrude with issues involving the Meziani clan, which controls town with a reign of terror.
Thousands and thousands of euros in revenue
The Meziani household allegedly threatened and manipulated the mayor – by way of his deputy Hasbi Colak – who was additionally prosecuted.
In an insinuated phone dialog, one of many brothers threatened to set fireplace to the municipality, additionally providing to ensure his re-election and to take care of legislation and order in Canteleu if he did the companies he requested.
Learn extra
https://www.rfi.fr/fr/france/20240608-le-procès-impliquant-l-ancien-sindaque-francese-dénonce-les-trafiquants-de-drogue-tenez-les-petites-villes
