Marseille Anti-Drug Office raided on suspicion of corruption

According to AFP, an investigation has been opened into suspicions of corruption involving investigators from the Office de lutte contre les stupéfiants of the Marseilles judicial police. The IGPN (Inspection générale de la police nationale), which acts as the «police of the police», carried out a search on the premises of the Marseilles Ofast at the beginning of April. This operation, part of the intensified fight against drugs as part of the «Place Nette XXL» operation, is receiving particular attention.

Raising suspicions and investigating corruption

The investigation, which began in January into allegations of corruption, was triggered by internal concerns within the Marseilles judicial police. According to AFP, «it was the hierarchy that brought up elements that needed to be verified» in order to maintain integrity within the police force, particularly in areas like Marseille, which face major drug-related problems.

Marseille's Ofast, which is responsible for dismantling major drug trafficking networks, is now under scrutiny. Business collusion? Ofast was about to arrest a suspect before he was shot dead last Monday in Marseille's 2nd arrondissement.

During the search of Ofast Marseille's premises, authorities seized phones and computers. This measure, reported by AFP, involves the «beef carrots», tasked with investigating suspicions of misconduct within the police force - an indication of the seriousness of the allegations the investigators face.

Marseille anti-drug campaign

The backdrop to the unfolding events is the intensification of the anti-drug battle in Marseille and the more general challenges facing law enforcement in the region. Some friction has recently arisen between local magistrates and the Minister of Justice over the effectiveness of anti-drug measures. Magistrates have openly questioned the effectiveness of law enforcement strategies in the fight against drug-related crime, which has not gone down well with the Minister of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti.

A previous scandal

The previous scandal involving Ocrtis (Office central pour la répression du trafic illicite des stupéfiants) and the seizure of 7 tons of cannabis on Boulevard Exelmans in Paris took place in 2015. Members of the Ocrtis were accused of participating in drug trafficking operations rather than fighting them. The seizure of such a large quantity of cannabis raised suspicions as to how long this alleged corruption had been going on, and how deeply rooted it was within the organization.

The scandal led to an in-depth investigation and the arrest of several people, including high-ranking Ocrtis officers, still in the process of being judged on certain aspects of the case. Following these corruption cases, Ocrtis was renamed Ofast. Will it take a 3rd rebranding to make people forget the repeated affairs?