He diverts 99 kg of cocaine destined to be destroyed: a man condemned in Rouen

By Mathieu Normand Published on 76news See my news

A rather unusual trial is being held at the Rouen Criminal Court (Seine-Maritime) on Monday January 24, 2022. The defendant, Anis *, a 25-year-old Veolia employee, is tried in immediate appearance for transporting and possessing narcotics, as well as for the diversion of 99 kg of cocaine.

On January 20, 2022, this drug, placed under seal, was sent by the national police of Le Havre to be destroyed in an incinerator in Grand-Quevilly. The defendant tries to steal some of it. "I did not realize what it contained," says the latter at the helm. His advice explains this gesture by “a stroke of madness”.

"You didn't look calm"

On the day of the incident, the cocaine was in opaque bags weighing around 25 kilos, which were themselves stored in closed containers. Thus, it is about a ton “seized in the context of several files” which is about to be destroyed, indicates the president. No one is informed of the operation upstream, apart from the security guard and his manager. The defendant's role that afternoon is to load the containers onto a "swing", which rises, then unloads their contents into the incinerator.

Anis works in pairs with another employee, responsible for collecting empty bins and cleaning them. The latter, who will later be heard by the police, tells one of his superiors that Anis has “a particular behavior”. Coming back from his lunch break, "he saw you pushing bins," said the president to the defendant. Two officials then go to the local incinerator, “saying that there is a drug problem”. “They fall on you at the level of a room and say that you did not look serene”, continues the president. At this time, Anis leaves to go to the infirmary. He cut his finger in the morning and is bleeding.

The two officials continued their search and ended up finding four bags of about 25 kg, hidden under the stairs leading to the incinerator. There is blood on the bags. The defendant returns 5 minutes later. He insists on putting them back in the bins and destroying them. One of the officials will explain to the police that Anis told him that these bags and their contents must be incinerated, otherwise he is "in deep shit". The superiors refuse. Anis returns to his parents' home, where he lives, and is arrested the next day by the police.

He destroys his phone

According to the investigation, the defendant would have taken advantage of an unusual police device and a certain lack of surveillance to steal these four bags. The defendant claims to have seized the opportunity impulsively, out of “greed”. “I was not aware of what I was doing, he assures the bar. I didn't realize how much and what drugs were in the bin. »

Tells him to have already attended this kind of procedure and that the contents of the bags are random. “It can contain anything: counterfeit notes, clothes… I didn't know it was cocaine. He says he discovered it once at the police station when the police opened the bags in front of him. The fact that he does not know that the bags contained narcotics surprises the president. This even appears impossible to the deputy prosecutor, who recalls that the bags are labeled with the mention “Stup”.

Even more surprising, the night before his arrest, Anis crushed his mobile phone and threw it in a trash can in front of a bar near his home. The reason: “It no longer worked. The police were therefore only able to rely on his detailed telephone bill, which does not mention any contact or SMS with anyone between the facts and his arrest. The investigation could not relate to the connection data of the telephone which could have revealed "contacts by WhatsApp or Snapchat", underlines the president.

Anis claims to have simply gone home "to think" and to have been "afraid of the consequences". “I haven't even eaten. I went to my bed. I slept. I did not leave my house. The police came to get me. “For the defendant, this thoughtless act was “a big bullshit” which he regretted in a short time, after having moved the bags. "I didn't even know how to get them out. »

In 3.3 and 19.6 million euros in value

Counsel for Anis pleads that he “acted stupidly, thoughtlessly and without any purpose”. The lawyer insists that he has “always worked”, has “a well-stocked bank account” and therefore does not need the money. Without a friend, with drug addiction problems a few years ago, and alcohol more recently, he would, on the other hand, be “in psychological distress”. She affirms that he needs help and that his profile does not correspond to the prison environment. “I am not made to be locked up,” insists the defendant, who says he is ready to meet the obligations of the court and wishes to work again.

The deputy prosecutor opposes him with a criminal record with five mentions, including one for narcotics, which places the defendant in a situation of recidivism. For him, the facts are characterized and go much further than a "simple error". The quantity of drugs in the bags was established at 99 kg of pure cocaine. It could have been diluted to distribute up to three times its weight. The estimated amount of its resale, depending on whether it is retail or wholesale, would be between “3.3 and 19.6 million euros”. "It would have flooded 76 and beyond for an indefinite period," notes the prosecutor. He requires six years' imprisonment and asks the president to pronounce "the entire detention" of the defendant.

For her part, Anis's lawyer asks for release for the facts of transport and possession of narcotics, assuring that the manipulation took place within the framework of her work. It also calls into question the diversion, the drugs having ultimately not left the site. The court finally recognizes the defendant "guilty of all the facts" and imposes a three-year prison sentence, including two years of probation with the obligation to work.

The first name has been changed*

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