At least 70 kilos of marijuana were discovered at the residence of the mayor of Avallon, a city in the central part of France, and searches are still in progress, as per a report by BFMTV citing gendarmerie sources.
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“At least 70 kilograms of cannabis were found on Sunday, April 7, in the possession of the socialist mayor of Avallon in Yonne, Djamila Absaoui,” the TV channel said in a statement.
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The drugs were located in the additional building connected to the mayor’s house during an anti-drug operation which had already commenced in several cities in France, as stated by the BFMTV. The TV channel also reported that the authorities had previously confirmed that the politician’s brother was involved in the sale of illegal substances.
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This week, French authorities initiated extensive efforts to combat drug trafficking in three major cities – Toulouse, Strasbourg, and Nantes. Before this, similar operations had begun in six cities: Paris and its surroundings, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Clermont-Ferrand, and Dijon. Law enforcement officers carried out over 1,700 arrests, which exceeded the targeted number. Earlier, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that the police aimed to apprehend 850 individuals suspected of engaging in drug trafficking.
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French President Emmanuel Macron declared an “unprecedented” initiative on March 19 to combat drug trafficking in Marseille amidst a rise in criminal conflicts. Prior to this, the head of state instructed the Minister of Internal Affairs, Darmanen, to conduct ten operations weekly to remove criminal elements involved in drug dealing, as reported by BFMTV.
