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Swiss and French cops swoop over drug money

French police have arrested 17 people, including the deputy mayor of a Paris district, in an operation with Swiss police into the suspected laundering of about €40 million (48 million francs, $52 million) of drug money.

Published: 15 October 2012 09:17 CEST

Prosecutors in Geneva said on Saturday that Swiss police had arrested three people, including two brothers of Moroccan origin, in connection with the same ring.

A raid on the Geneva home of one of the brothers led to the discovery of €800,000 in cash, and 160 watches and high-value jewels with an estimated value of €2 million in a hidden safe, said Le Temps newspaper.

The arrests came after French authorities arrested 17 people on Friday and Saturday as part of the investigation.

Florence Lamblin of France's Green Party, a deputy mayor of a Paris district, was among those charged in the case.

She is being investigated over "organized money-laundering and association with criminals," a judicial source said.

While she remains at liberty on bail, seven of the 17 were held in custody, those suspected of trafficking in drugs or dealing in drug money.

The arrests came after an investigation that was launched in February into the smuggling of tonnes of cannabis from Morocco to the Paris region via Spain.

Lamblin resigned on Saturday from her post but colleagues said she had denied any involvement.

Her lawyer Jerome Boursican told AFP she had held €350,000 from a family legacy in a Swiss account.

A person she trusted had put her in touch with someone who repatriated the money to France, only for her to find herself caught up in the investigation, he said.

At most, he said, she was guilty of not having declared the money to the tax authorities, he added.

"She told me by SMS that she had done absolutely nothing wrong," Green Party member Yves Contassot said.

A police source said it was the biggest case of its kind to have been cracked by the French police.

Those arrested and released were freed on bail of between €80,000 and €1 million, a judiciary source said.

A source close to the case said police had found several million euros in cash and goods during the searches of suspects homes and safe deposits in both countries.

Swiss press reports said the brothers in custody were suspected of having laundered the cash via a Geneva-based finance company and with the possibly unwitting participation of French tax evaders.

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DRUGS

Germany should make cannabis available at pharmacies not ‘coffee shops’, says FDP boss

Germany's possible new government could well relax the country's strict cannabis laws. But FDP leader Christian Lindner says he doesn't want to go down the Netherlands route.

Published: 18 October 2021 12:50 CEST
A demonstrator smokes a joint at the pro-cannabis Hanfparade in Berlin in August 2021.
A demonstrator smokes a joint at the pro-cannabis Hanfparade in Berlin in August 2021. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl

The Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) are set to engage in coalition talks in a bid to become the next German government.  And the future of cannabis will likely be one of the topics to be thrashed out.

In drug policy, the three parties are not too far apart in their positions. So it’s possible that the drug could be decriminalised.

However, nothing is set in stone and the parties still haven’t come to a common line on the question of where and to what extent cannabis could be accessed. 

The leader of the Liberal FDP, Christian Lindner, has now come out in favour of allowing cannabis products such as hashish to be sold in a controlled manner. 

Consumers should be allowed “to purchase a quantity for their own use, for example, in a pharmacy after health education,” Lindner told a live broadcast on German daily Bild on Sunday.

Lindner said he was sceptical about the sale in “coffee shops” according to the Dutch model. “I am in favour of controlled distribution, and therefore health education must be able to take place,” he said.

READ MORE: Patients in Germany still face hurdles accessing medical marijuana

People in the Netherlands can access cannabis products in coffee shops under the country’s tolerant drugs policy. However coffee shops have to follow certain strict conditions. For instance they are not allowed to sell large quantities to an individual. 

Lindner said his main aims were about “crime and health prevention” and not with “legalising a right to intoxication”.

It’s not clear if Lindner advocates for prescription-only cannabis for medical use, or an over-the-counter model. 

The FDP previously said that they they are in favour of the creation of licensed shops. Their manifesto highlights the health benefits, tax windfalls and reallocation of police resources that legalisation would create.

The Green party also want licensed shops, as well as a whole new approach to drug control starting with the controlled legalisation of marijuana. The Greens state that “strict youth and user protection” would be the centre point of their legislation and hope to “pull the rug from under the black market”.

The SPD also want a reform of Germany’s prohibition stance – but are more cautious than the smaller parties on the legalisation aspect. They would like to initially set up pilot projects. 

READ ALSO: Why Germany could be on the brink of legalising cannabis

Controversial topic

So far, the sale of cannabis is officially banned in Germany. Possession of cannabis is also currently illegal across the entire country. Those caught carrying the substance can face anything from a fine to five years in jail.

However, the justice system generally looks away if you are caught carry small quantities for personal use unless you have a previous conviction.

The definition of personal use differs from state to state, with Berlin having the most liberal rules and Bavaria the tightest.

It is estimated that around four million people regularly use cannabis in Germany.

Representatives of police unions in Germany have warned against legalisation. They argue that cannabis is an often trivialised drug that can lead to considerable health problems and social conflicts, especially among young people.

Oliver Malchow, from the GdP police union, said that “it doesn’t make any sense to legalise another dangerous drug on top of alcohol”.

The current Ministry of Health also continues to oppose the legalisation of cannabis, a spokesperson for Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) made clear. Cannabis is a dangerous substance and therefore legalisation is not advisable, the spokesman said. 

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