The Besançon prosecutor’s office announced on Wednesday that it would request the referral to court of 27 people, including eight minors. They are suspected of having taken part, against the background of drug trafficking, in armed clashes in the popular district of Planoise between November 2019 and March 2020.
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During a press conference, the public prosecutor of Besançon, Etienne Manteaux, clarified that he was preparing to ask the investigating judge to refer one of the two teams of criminals to the criminal court, namely 27 people in total, at the origin of this “territory war” which left a dozen injured and one dead.
These are indicted for “drug trafficking” and “criminal association”, as well as for “attempted murder” for some. If the investigating magistrate follows the requisitions, the trial could be held in June, said the prosecutor.
Between November 2019 and March 2020, two rival gangs clashed for control of Planoise’s drug trafficking. This gang war had given rise to 18 episodes of exchanges of fire, leaving several injured and a 23-year-old dead. The investigation into this homicide is still ongoing.
Two “sponsor” brothers
Two brothers, who were in detention at the time, are suspected of being “the principal sponsors and organizers of the first team”. “The wiretaps that were made showed that even in the heart of the detention they were able to direct drug trafficking,” explained Etienne Manteaux.
The second team, confused in particular thanks to the decryption of Sky ECC phones often used by criminals, could be tried in a separate trial at the end of 2022.
In total on the two teams, 57 people were therefore indicted but “it appeared that it was complicated to judge so many people during the same correctional hearing”, underlined Mr. Manteaux adding that “in terms security, given the antagonism between these two teams, it was particularly inappropriate to judge them together”.
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