A violent gang-related assault in the Landes department has led French law enforcement to dismantle an active cocaine and cannabis distribution network operating around Dax and Mont-de-Marsan. According to the French National Police, three men were arrested on September 16 inside an apartment in Cuyès after allegedly beating a fourth man over an unpaid drug debt of 7,000 euros. The victim sustained severe injuries to his head, legs, and ribs from a baseball bat, requiring 42 days of temporary total disability, commonly known as an ITT in the French legal system.
Anti-Crime Brigades Raid Cuyès Safehouse and Recover Stash
Investigators tracked the suspects quickly using geolocation data from the victim’s mobile phone alongside multiple witness statements. When anti-crime brigades from Dax and Mont-de-Marsan raided the Cuyès apartment, they recovered roughly 20 vials of cocaine, empty packaging materials, several blocks of cannabis resin, 11 mobile phones, and 990 euros in cash.
Mastermind Arrested After Seizure Yields Bat and €13,145
Subsequent inquiries directed authorities to a neighboring commune, where officers apprehended the suspected mastermind of both the kidnapping and the narcotics operation. A search of the primary suspect’s residence yielded 13,145 euros in cash, additional cocaine and cannabis resin, packaging equipment, and the baseball bat used in the attack.
Family Ties and Nursetenders Fuel Local Distribution Network
The network relied on a structured division of labor, including familial involvement and local warehousing. Investigators established that the primary suspect’s female partner actively distributed narcotics on his behalf, while another local woman residing in Dax operated as the ring’s “nursetender,” storing drug supplies and collecting weekly revenues averaging 3,000 euros. The initial kidnapping and assault took place at the female accomplice’s Dax residence.
Fast-Track Convictions and Pending November 9 Trial
On September 25, both female suspects were convicted to 12-month suspended prison sentences under a fast-track guilty plea procedure known as a CRPC. Meanwhile, the three initial male suspects and the alleged ringleader remain in provisional detention, with the primary suspect scheduled to face trial on November 9 in a fast-track appearance proceeding, while the remaining male defendants await trial dates.
