Pissevin district in Nîmes, the “Interministerial Research Group” has grocers in its sights

Un équipage cynophile participe aux opérations du GIR. Mikael Anisset – Midi Libre

Ce lundi 5 février, sous l'impulsion du Comité opérationnel départemental anti-fraude (CODAF), cette nouvelle unité de lutte contre la délinquance est entrée en action.

It is 3 p.m. sharp this Monday, February 5, at the George Sand gallery, in Nîmes, when the brand new GIR, or Interministerial Research Group of Nîmes, begins its operation.

In an almost empty grocery store, wedged between a closed fishmonger and a bakery, the helpless manager, clearly taken by surprise, sees around fifteen civil servants arrive in his business in barely a minute. agents of customs, taxes, Urssaf and the judicial police.

Single operation

With the objective of identifying and seizing heritage acquired through trafficking and combating the underground economy, this new unit, active since January 2 in Nîmes, is headed by Commander Christophe Tallevast.

" Until now, field controls today devolved to the GIR were carried out by different services. This new unit now makes it possible, in a single operation, to sanction both criminal and administrative offenses ”, greets Commissioner Florent Ravel, head of the interdepartmental office of the PJ Gard-Lozère since January 1.

In the "target" grocery store, Rocket is busy

Inside the ’target’grocery store, Rocket, almost two years old, is busy looking for narcotics. For long minutes, this young Belgian shepherd diligently scrutinizes every corner of the small business (inside the fridges and ceilings included!) on a leash, or in the arms of her master attached to the canine brigade of the national police.

On the chain, the animal finds packets of cigarettes, rolling tobacco and shisha… As well as several envelopes of cash scattered around carefully in different corners of the establishment.

Counterfeit, contraband cigarettes

Quickly, faced with a particularly anxious manager, the agents assume the presence of a hideout in this business recently sanctioned for the resale of counterfeit tobacco but also contraband.< /p>

After half an hour of searching, 240 packs of imported and counterfeit cigarettes were discovered behind a removable partition.

In the process, the manager of the grocery store clumsily attempts to justify it in front of the officials, incurring here at least several administrative and criminal fines , as well as the administrative closure of its establishment.

A closure likely to be pronounced soon by the prefect of Gard and could last for a duration of fifteen days until many months.