Prison for five out of six defendants in the Citadelle drug trafficking, in Bagnols-sur-Cèze

The correctional chamber had to judge a drug trafficking case, in Bagnols-sur-Cèze. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Six young adults arrested on July 17 and 18 in the Citadelle district, in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, following a police anti-drug operation, were summoned Monday July 22 to appear immediately in front of the Nîmes correctional chamber. After a very long deliberation, the court sentenced three of them to prison with continued detention, two to sentences under an electronic bracelet, and the last to suspended probation.

The dismantling on July 17 and 18 by police officers from the Bagnolais police station of drug trafficking in the Citadelle district, in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, reached its epilogue on Monday 22 ;July, at the Nîmes correctional chamber, with the immediate appearance of six of the eight defendants (the last two, minors, will be tried by another court). And at the end of the afternoon, at the announcement of the different sentences by President Chenevier, the tension was palpable in the court room, where families of defendants had taken their places in the room. .

Aged 18 to 20, the six young people, in pre-trial detention since their arrest, all from Île-de-France, were tried for complicity in the supply, possession or use of narcotics (grass , cannabis resin or cocaine) or even unauthorized transfer of narcotics. With the exception of one defendant, the other five were repeat offenders.

Defendants minimizing their participation in trafficking

In recalling the facts, President Chenevier stated that the doses of narcotics were stored at a nanny's, in an apartment in the neighborhood, and that the transactions were made in the entrance hall of the building. It was following information and then a long surveillance and an identification from a photo stored in the phone of a defendant, that the police then “typed” the network in place for several weeks apparently.

Brought each in turn to express themselves, the defendants, not talkative for two cents, for the most part, recognized their sole role as lookouts (several did it to pay a debt), refuting the sale of narcotics. One of them even denied his participation in the trafficking, arguing that he was at Burger King at the time the police said they were there.

“Exemplary field work by the police”

Speaking, prosecutor Ughetto highlighted “the exemplary field work of the police to eradicate drug trafficking in the Citadel”. Recalling that five of the defendants were repeat offenders and could therefore face up to twenty years in prison, he requested an identical sentence of three years, continued detention and a ban on staying in the Gard for five years.

The first to speak for his client, the only non-repeat defendant, Me Hugo Ferry jumped at the prosecution's indictment, which requested a collective sentence of eighteen years. “This is a crude and dishonest trap into which the court will not fall”, he roared. While lecturing his client (one of the two youngest adults), he minimized his participation. Following in the footsteps of their Nîmes colleague, Mes Laurie Le Sagère, Sarah Khrof and Alexandre Rabih Barakat, questioned the indictment of prosecutor Ughetto. One requests the release of his client for drug possession, another pleading for "human justice".< /p>

Five prison sentences, including three with continued detention

After a very long deliberation, all the defendants were found guilty of the acts with which they were accused. The court convicted the two defendants from the same family to twenty-four months, with continued detention, and a third to 15 months, with continued detention.

A fourth defendant is sentenced to 18 months under an electronic bracelet, a fifth to 12 months under an electronic bracelet. The last defendant was sentenced to twelve months with a two-year probationary suspension. Finally, everyone was banned from staying in the Gard for five years.

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