Bobigny – Mélanie Boulanger, former mayor of Canteleu, is at the moment on the heart of a trial for complicity in a drug trafficking case involving the Meziani household. She is on trial alongside 18 different defendants in a sprawling case revealed by a two-year investigation. This trial, held earlier than the Bobigny court docket, goals to guage the primary gamers in a drug trafficking community working within the Rouen area.
Elected mayor of Canteleu in 2014, Mélanie Boulanger is accused of getting put strain on the police to not disrupt the legal actions of the Meziani clan, a household infamous for its management of drug trafficking and its skill to instill violence. terror within the small Normandy city.
Resignation and accusations
Mélanie Boulanger resigned from her place at first of 2024, citing well being causes, following being indicted for complicity in April 2022. Alongside her in court docket are key members of the community, together with heads leaders, lieutenants, suppliers and launderers. The trial is predicted to final a month, with a verdict anticipated by the tip of June.
The revelations of the investigation
The investigation was launched in September 2019 following the arrest of two people in Saint-Denis, carrying 50,000 euros in money and two kilos of 80% pure cocaine. This arrest led investigators to Canteleu and the Meziani household, who’re stated to be one of many major gamers in drug trafficking within the Rouen area. The very profitable community reportedly generates greater than ten million euros yearly in income simply from cocaine and heroin, regardless of an formally declared modest way of life.
Proof and key parts
The case is wealthy in phone tapping and sound methods. A compromising dialog reveals that one of many Meziani brothers threatened Mélanie Boulanger to sow chaos within the commune if she didn’t cooperate, whereas promising her re-election and the upkeep of public order in alternate for her companies.
The function of the Meziani household
The Meziani household, distraught by the loss of life of the pinnacle of the household Mohamed in a highway accident, noticed two brothers, Aziz and Montacer, resume illicit actions. The investigation uncovered a drug importation and gross sales community together with hashish, heroin and cocaine. The income had been used to purchase luxurious automobiles, pay for costly dental payments, launder cash by means of native companies, and put money into actual property in Morocco.
Judgment and notable absences
Aziz Meziani, nicknamed “The U”, fled to Morocco in the course of the investigation and will likely be tried in absentia. He’s accused of getting relayed the traffickers’ requests to Mélanie Boulanger. Hasbi Colak, deputy of the previous mayor, denied all accusations towards him. His lawyer, Jérémy Kalfon, stated Colak was ready for the trial to obviously and exactly show his innocence.
This trial highlights the complexity and influence of drug trafficking on an area scale, in addition to allegations of collusion between political figures and legal networks.