Drug trafficking “causes real destabilization in the country,” comparable to terrorism, according to a former prosecutor from the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office.

“It is not too late” to end drug trafficking in France “but we must hurry,” writer Jean-François Ricard warned last year about reports of the creation of a national anti-crime prosecution.

Threat of drug trafficking “causing real destabilization of the country, forms of separatism and control over certain environments”estimates Friday 21 November at franceinfo Jean-François Ricard, judge, prosecutor of the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office when it was created in 2019, until 2024.

According to Jean-François Ricard, who also wrote a report last year on the creation of a national anti-crime prosecutor’s office, this “completely justified” said that the threat of drug trafficking is at least equal to the threat of terrorism in France. “The two phenomena are of course different, but comparable”he said. Emmanuel Macron asked the government on Tuesday “to strengthen” fight against drug trafficking by adopting the same approach as for “terrorism”, following the shockwave caused by the murder on November 13 of the brother of Amine Kessaci, an activist committed against drug trafficking in Marseille.

The judge acknowledged the difficulty of uncovering a vast network: “Both are more complicated to truly destabilize, but both can be identified. You have to know how to be humble, handle it methodically, and target all parties: sellers, suppliers, money launderers. They all have to be targeted at the same time.” “This still takes time” to end drug trafficking, warns Jean-François Ricard. “It’s not too late, but we have to hurry”he confirmed.

Jean-François Ricard is confident that the government’s actions will be successful “in a good way”. He observed “seething in recent years, because the threat is very serious”he explained. In the spring, France adopted new laws to strengthen the fight against drug trafficking, a scourge that now affects the entire region, including rural areas. “This law is a first step,” he stressed. This primarily introduces the idea of ​​criminal association, which makes it possible “become more proactive, which is fundamental”. That’s also possible “new use of the converted”, determine the judge.