Emergency meeting. On Tuesday, February 18, Emmanuel Macron gathered people involved in the fight against drug trafficking to discuss this issue. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Laurent Nuñez, Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, Minister of Justice, Amélie de Montchalin, Minister of Public Accounts, and Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister of Foreign Affairs will be present for the government. Along with them, also invited: the candidates for the head of the national anti-organized crime prosecutor’s office, the prosecutor of Marseille, the director general of the national police, the national director of the judicial police, the prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône police and the director general of Customs and indirect rights. Follow our live stream.
• Marseille prosecutors call for increasing the number of investigators. “We have outstanding police officers, but we do not have enough officers to carry out complex inquiries and investigations to uncover money laundering networks”said Nicolas Bessone on France Inter on Monday. “This is a kind of counter-society that we are facing. Therefore, public authorities must also attack it and respond in a systemic way.” he continued.
• Mehdi Kessaci’s funeral was held in Marseille. The family wanted the funeral to take place without the presence of the press and indicated that a white parade would be held next weekend. Thursday, the brother of environmental activist Amine Kessaci, who was involved in the fight against drug bandits, was shot dead. Marseille prosecutors did not rule out a murder warning.
“The problem of drug trafficking is as serious as the problem of terrorism.” Asked by France Inter on Monday, former President of the Republic, François Hollande, considered this necessary “has a high intensity control method”. “I am a president fighting against terrorism. Today, drug trafficking is on an international scale, the amounts at stake, the mafia that is there, the processes that are used, the children that are unfortunately killed or become murderers through this process, this is similar to terrorism.” said the socialist deputy from Corrèze.
