Two French anti-narcotics cops accused of drug trafficking
Both officers, who worked for the national anti-drug agency Ofast in the southern coastal city of Marseille, were implicated in an investigation involving the smuggling of at least 360 kilogrammes of cocaine from Colombia, the office added.
After being placed in police custody on Monday, the two accused were indicted on charges including "importation and trafficking of drugs in an organised gang, money laundering, criminal conspiracy, (and) forgery of a public document".
Their actions were "completely outside the chain of command," the prosecutors added, requesting the officers be remanded in custody to prevent them from conferring with each other.
Following an anonymous tip-off in February 2023, police began tracking a planned cocaine delivery destined for Paris via the Mediterranean port of Marseille.
"As part of this investigation, it had been agreed to monitor the arrival of a shipment of 180 to 200 kilogrammes of cocaine, however, it turned out that this delivery had allowed nearly 400 kilogrammes of cocaine to enter the country," the prosecutor's office said.
Faced with the discrepancy between the information received and the eventual delivery's size, the Ofast agency withdrew from the operation.
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"Several people involved in the case expressed surprise at the ease with which the drugs were moved to Marseille, suggesting that police surveillance had been breached," the office said.
The initial investigation was closed in January 2024 without any arrests.
But that month officers informed France's Inspectorate General of the National Police of their suspicions over the delivery, with officers then searching the premises of Ofast's Marseille branch in April 2024.
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