Two Belgians, who are members of the motorcycle club Hells Angels, have been sentenced to 30 months in prison by the Pontoise Criminal Court, in the Paris region. This is for drug trafficking offences.
As a result, they must also jointly pay a customs fine of 88,690 euros and are prohibited from entering French territory for a full three years. All of this is revealed in Le Parisien today (Friday). They were made subject to a detention order.
Originally from Tournai and Lodelinsart (in Charleroi), Steve and Michaël, both aged 28, had been arrested on Monday in the Vémars motorway service area, near Paris, during a customs inspection. The inspection happened aboard a bus they were on.
They had taken the bus which was headed for Belgium.
A 600-gram sachet of cannabis was discovered in Steve's bag. More than 14-kilogrammes of weed were then discovered in his suitcase.
Lastly, customs officers discovered more than 11 kilogrammes of narcotics in a suitcase belonging to Michaël. In total, 25.34 kilogrammes of weed were seized, which customs estimated to have a value of 88,690 euros.
The men had to answer for their actions in an immediate summary trial, which started on Wednesday.
The public prosecutor requested that they spend 3 to 4 years in prison.
In mitigation, the Defence stressed the absence of a criminal record for both men and the financial difficulties endured by the accused. Their barrister went on, “The two men behaved somewhat like mules. They were individuals in financial difficulty, in dire circumstances. You cannot imagine them running a drugs cartel.”
The Brussels Times
