In Haute-Savoie, a town is trying to combat drug trafficking… with posters

After a summer marked by gunfire on the outskirts of a «no deal», the municipality of Gaillard, in Haute-Savoie, has found a new weapon in the fight against trafficking: posters.

Rather than addressing drug dealers directly, the campaign targets their customers, reminding them that a quick purchase can have much more lasting consequences for the neighborhood.

«Drugs: Your purchase in the Chalet neighborhood leads to shootings.» This message will be posted throughout the city, particularly along the routes taken by people heading to the Chalet neighborhood, where the Sigem retail location is located, just a few hundred meters from Geneva.

Seven shootings this summer

According to the mayor of Gaillard, Antoine Blouin, seven shootings took place near the drug den over the summer, wounding two dealers. On August 20, shots were fired in broad daylight.

This violence is nothing new. In May 2025, rival groups reportedly clashed over control of the area, with Kalashnikov fire breaking out in the afternoon. The police reinforcements and the convictions that followed were not enough to put a definitive end to drug trafficking in this area.

The geographical location makes it particularly difficult to combat this trafficking. Gaillard is located right on the French-Swiss border, with the Geneva municipality of Thônex right on the other side.

«We’re only five meters from the Swiss border, so when the police arrive, the traffickers just have to climb over the fence and head straight across to Thônex in Switzerland,» Mr. Blouin told the Figaro.

Since French police cannot pursue an operation across the border, this narrow geographical gap proves particularly advantageous for traffickers.

After tackling the sidewalks, Gaillard is turning her attention to communications

Since the city has limited authority over the traffic networks themselves, it is therefore trying to take action on demand for drugs.

The posters, which feature images of bullets and drug deals, aim to establish a direct link between drug purchases and the violence experienced by the neighborhood’s approximately 700 residents.

«Many drug users are capable of thinking for themselves,» Mr. Blouin told the Tribune de Genève, adding that he hoped this campaign would help reduce revenue by that drug-dealing spot.

The municipality has already tried some more unusual tactics. During the summer of 2025, city council members physically occupied the sidewalks used by drug dealers three evenings a week in an effort to disrupt sales. This operation did not put an end to drug trafficking.

This time, the city is focusing on communication, using posters, social media, and local media to reach customers. Video surveillance cameras are also set to be installed in the neighborhood.

«Is that naive? We didn’t try that last year. We had occupied the sidewalk where the sales were taking place. This year, we’re trying a high-impact campaign,» the mayor told the Figaro.

Just a few meters away, another approach to cannabis

The situation takes on a special significance when viewed from the other side of the border. While Gaillard tries to dissuade customers from going to a illegal drug market, Geneva is experimenting with a radically different framework for the cannabis.

In the canton, The Cannabinotheque is part of a Swiss pilot program that allows for the legal purchase of regulated cannabis as part of a scientific study. The’The study aims to evaluate the effects a regulated, nonprofit distribution model as an alternative to the illicit market.

On one side of the border, there is regulated cannabis distribution; on the other, a town that hopes a poster reminding customers of the effects of prohibition might persuade some of them to turn back.