Drug trafficking: do maritime drug routes pass through Sète?

Les douaniers de Sète contrôlent véhicules et passagers des ferries, mais aussi le fret transporté par les camions grâce à des scanners spéciaux. Archive Midi Libre – Marc Caillaud

A vast national plan is launched to strengthen the security of ports, including Sète.

Is the port of Sète a "great enigma" in matters of drug trafficking ? It was in these terms that the public prosecutor of Montpellier questioned the situation in response to a journalist's question during a press conference at the beginning of the month dedicated to the figures for delinquency in Hérault.

Our colleague was referring to the rise in drug imports from Morocco or the Caribbean, via ports in northern France and Europe, which regularly hit the headlines. Antwerp in particular but also Calais and Le Havre where a dockworker was killed amid drug trafficking in 2020. Smaller ports like Lorient, Dunkirk and even La Rochelle are also affected with regular drug seizures. . So what about Sète where the infrastructure is in the midst of an economic boom ?

"You must not be naive"

The representative of the Montpellier public prosecutor's office clearly indicated on February 1 that there were no legal proceedings in progress regarding narcotics in the Sète port sector. "With two possible interpretations, either it's a haven of peace, or we're missing out on something…", a he analyzed in an oratorical pirouette. Before continuing: "What we know is that a large spotlight is currently placed on the ports of' Antwerp or Le Havre, and drug addicts undoubtedly favor moving these circuits to places perhaps a little less supervised. These clues exist. We must not be naive, we are working on patterns, we have experienced this with airports, there is no reason why it cannot happen here, he added. A vast plan to secure French ports was launched in this regard last December in the wake of Belgium and the Netherlands.

"I have asked to increase the security measures put in place"

"We work very well with the port authorities", recalled the prefect of Hérault François -Xavier Lauch. Port authority to which the representative of the State "very clearly asked to increase the security measures put in place in place (cameras, fences, entry and exit controls, etc.)  and it is in progress in accordance with a circular from the former Prime Minister".

A scanner to control trucks by the end of 2024

In addition to the border police (PAF) responsible for migration control and customs "who are at work", François-Xavier Lauch confirmed the arrival of an additional means of control: a permanent scanner (one was already available regularly) at the port for inspection trucks for customs. It is expected for the last quarter of 2024. Requested, Yves Luck interdepartmental director of customs indicates that drug routes are particularly analyzed and anticipated on a national scale. According to the latter, these risk analyzes do not suggest any new "schema" Sétois.

352kg of narcotics seized by Sète customs officers in 2020

In Sète, a customs check (surveillance brigade) with a stup dog is systematic upon the arrival of each ferry. As well as checks for breaches of reporting obligations for cash held by passengers. This may hide tax or customs laundering (read below). Car freight (RoRo) also undergoes search operations targeted at each rotation by agents of the ;nbsp;commercial operations. If drug seizures exist in Sète, they are not significant, assures Yves Luck. In 2020, the Sète unit seized 352 kg of narcotics.

"We always run after the imagination of criminals"

Depending on the quantity found, the case may be concluded with a customs fine without legal proceedings. "Our techniques have proven themselves, our know-how and our professionalism are deployed both in the port and on the roads. But we are still running behind the imagination of the criminals who now manage to smuggle cocaine in the form of objects or liquids." 

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