“He threw a block of cocaine”: operation “clear place”, immersed in the fight against drug banditry

Le RAID mobilisé lundi 5 février pour lancer l'opération “place nette” à Béziers. Midi Libre – MICHAEL ESDOURRUBAILH

To fight against drug trafficking, the No. 1 scourge in France, “clearance” operations are being carried out. were put forward by President Macron in mid-January. Saturday February 10, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin gave an assessment of the first four months of these actions. Already 155 "net space" were carried out with 1270 arrests, more than two tonnes of drugs, 2M€ in cash and 300 weapons were seized. In Hérault, a precursor department, after the Saint-Martin district at the end of November, it is the Devèze sector in Béziers which has been targeted since February 5 and for another week. Report. 

"Police! Police ! Open!" yells the RAID agent, hooded, protective shield in hand. The actuator placed on the door comes& nbsp;to allow the apartment to be opened and immediately, around ten police officers from this elite unit, all armed, rushed in and took possession of the places, under the stunned eye of a morning concierge who has just arrived in the building bar to take her shift.

It's 6 a.m. sharp, Monday February 5, in the city of Devèze in Béziers (Hérault) and in the process, the dog specialized in the search for narcotics and wads of banknotes is released into the rooms of the accommodation. He wags his tail like never before, his nose alert to the objectives set by his masters.

Six drug traffickers targeted in the Devèze district. Midi Libre – MICHAEL ESDOURRUBAILH

Cannabis resin and herb, cocaine, precision scales or even packaging bags: this is the harvest. In the end, several kilos of drugs seized for half a dozen purposes.

So much for the judicial and most spectacular aspect of the “clear place” operation, a concept developed by the President of the Republic, mid-January,   which now requires ten per week throughout France.

What is it about ?

Béziers also affected by narco-homicides

This action is intended to be a response to the disintegration of sensitive neighborhoods affected by poverty, deterioration and incivility and above all, worst among evils, the gangrene of drug trafficking and its corollaries , the lucrative underground economy and the settling of scores now called "narco-homicides".

Hérault is in place in the region, where the other departments have not yet mobilized resources: 400 police officers in December in Montpellier and just as many again this week in Béziers. Here is precisely the judicial police which simultaneously and with a battering ram invests another site, still in Devèze, adjoining a bakery in front of which Foued E., a 21-year-old butcher, was mowed down by a burst of Kalashnikov, August 30, 2023.

It’was in front of an "four", a deal point. The smell of filth from the accommodation, where cans and packets of chips lie on the ground, does not mask the smell of cannabis spreading on the landing.

"I don’t feel like answering"

"His supervisory minister is Fesneau" grinds a specialist in technical and scientific surveys as he empties the cans filled with hundreds of "heads& ;quot; d’grass.

Small bags bearing the image of Walter White, the drug-producing hero of the Breaking Bad series, are also ready for sale. The incriminated thirty-year-old leaves handcuffed after also "throwing a block of cocaine" out the window, indicates an investigator.

Cellars, garages and common areas of targeted buildings. Midi Libre – MICHAEL ESDOURRUBAILH

At the corner of the building, a young man, hood on his head, beard growing, casts a disgusted look towards the alignment of vehicles of the army forces ;rsquo;order by sending oral messages on his phone which he holds horizontally in front of his mouth. What does he think ?

"I’don't want to answer" he evacuates, throwing a black eye at the impound lot evacuating a wrecked car.

"Clear place" it’is a deployment of enormous resources for punchy actions… Long-term: the oxymoron means at least two weeks of presence, where it is also a question of controlling businesses, fighting against clandestine work, tracking down irregular situations or even breaking a low wall, the pillar of the point of Devèze deal.

A mobilization on land, in the air with a mobilized helicopter or in the common areas. With a fluorescent orange and black police armband on her arm, an investigator has just, on the third floor of another building, found a box stuffed with hashish, but also a two-kilo canister of nitrous oxide, this laughing gas diverted from its intended use and which wreaks havoc among young people.

"The dog marked on the third floor"

"The dog marked on the third floor on a column, inside there was a trash bag and underneath, narcotics, when the customers come, they will look the product" details.

On the first steps of the staircase, pieces of rolling papers,  remains of “joint” and cans of cola lying around. To the great dismay of this mother who, opening her door, leaves to take her children to school among the uniforms.

Cannabis, cocaine and even nitrous oxide seized. Midi Libre – MICHAEL ESDOURRUBAILH

 "Seeing the police is very reassuring, here, there are squatting problems, I don't I'm not reassured, I’I have a 13-year-old son, you understand" she says. "It’is normal for the police to intervene, there is a lot of trash, motorcycle noise, deals"&nbsp ;abounds Arikan, 16 years old, young person of Turkish origin, in Devèze since he was little.

"They put drugs in the garage, I'll check"

While the municipal authorities have increased the number of troops to inspect the basements, Ali, a 67-year-old retiree, shows his regularly damaged garage box where he has placed wire to prevent another break-in.

"I like the font, I'm happy when it's there! Once, they put drugs in someone else's garage, so I check all the time" he smiles before leaving in his old Mercedes go take care of her tomatoes and give dry bread to her goats.

Raphaël Balland, Béziers prosecutor: “This is not a communication stunt”

How do you understand these “clear place” one of which takes place on your spring. Béziers since Monday ?

The concept of the Ministry of the Interior is being tested throughout France, which is new and interesting. to be able to better articulate the different state services and the public authority. judicial for the investigating party. And tackle difficulties in a neighborhood and kill several birds with one stone.

How is this happening on the ground ?

This is a judicial operation to combat narcotics and we have worked on this. for several weeks on potential targets with the Béziers police station with surveillance in an unprecedented manner in dedicated time. and in means granted. I therefore see great interest in it and it is in line with our common objective of fighting against trafficking.

Là où it is also original it is also all the other actions triggered with the different institutional actors such as operations on businesses.

All this requires a lot of preparatory work if we don't want it to be taken for what it shouldn't be, & know a communication call. The objective is not to make communications otherwise we waste a lot of energy for nothing.

Deal points remain the crux of the matter. A 21-year-old died there at the end of August, killed by a burst of Kalashnikov.

It’s no secret that’à Devèze a certain number of deal points have beené identified. The difficulty it’s about being able to stay in this type of neighborhood over time. This is what was done. done to further identify the operating methods and actors of this trafficking and target people with call out.

It’is also showing à the population that these are not neighborhoods that we want to abandon, particularly when there are tragedies of this nature, like the one you mention, çthis reinforces our belief ;eacute;termination &at; enforce the law in these neighborhoods. This isn't bullshit, it's a reality. operational.

How to be sure of the effectiveness of your application &agrav; long term ?

I'm not sure of anything. If there is a will shared, with the prefect, this will depend on the capabilities of the investigators face &agrav; the additional workload of this type of operation. If we leave and it starts again a few weeks later, that is not the objective even if in terms of drug trafficking we should not & be totally naïf.
Fighting trafficking goes beyond just that. of this type of operation, we want to be part of the time, to dry up the trafficking of narcotics which is to dry up the market, we must dry up usage, no users, no traffic, it’s always the same equation. We must also ask ourselves the question of why there are users; prevention is also essential. This concerns all of society, not just justice and the police.

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