A traffic of ” laughing gas “ was dismantled in Ile-de-France, leading to the arrest of two people and the seizure of 1,218 bottles of nitrous oxide, the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday, May 11, 2021.
This gas for medical use is experiencing growing success, especially among young people who consume it in a festive setting because of its rapid euphoric effect.
A road check at the origin of the dismantling
During a roadside check, investigators from the Rosny-sous-Bois police station “Surprised the traffickers in full delivery and discovered several thousand euros in their vehicle”, said the Bobigny prosecutor’s office.
One of the respondents, an apprentice in the automotive sector, took care of the rental of the box and the direction of traffic while the management of customers and deliveries was ensured with the support of his accomplice.
The investment to structure the traffic amounted to nearly € 37,000, according to investigators’ estimates. Consumers were delivered throughout Ile-de-France.
Several tens of thousands of euros were also seized in search and on the bank accounts of one of the defendants.
They face up to 10 years imprisonment
The two defendants were referred on Saturday and will be summoned before the Bobigny Criminal Court on September 24 for “Money laundering, refusal to disclose cell phone unlocking codes and covert work”, committed over the period from December 4, 2020 to May 7, 2021. The latest charge represses the trafficking of nitrous oxide, specifies the prosecution.
They face up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
A previous traffic in nitrous oxide had been dismantled in March also in Rosny-sous-Bois. This case resulted in the seizure and destruction of 1,849 nitrous oxide bottles and 2,160 culinary siphon cartridges.
Since the first confinement, an increase in nitrous oxide traffic has been observed in Seine-Saint-Denis as on the national territory, indicates the Bobigny prosecutor’s office.
The same methods as drug dealers
“Some individuals diversifying or even abandoning the trafficking of narcotics for this activity considered more profitable and less exposed to criminal law”, analyzes the floor.
Some of these delinquents, “Without having a criminal record, moreover employ the same methods as the traffickers”. They organize themselves through social networks and posting ads on Snapchat.
For consumers, the box of 10 capsules of 10 ml is sold on average 10 € and the bottles from 25 to 100 €, depending on their packaging. In a festive context, the price is 10 € ” the ball “.
–Traffic in “laughing gas” dismantled near Paris, 1,218 bottles of nitrous oxide seizedOuest-France.fr—
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