Police investigations in the Gard department have uncovered an organized extortion scheme targeting local merchants. Victims reported threatening phone calls in which the perpetrators demanded payments, warning of physical violence against the business owners or their families.
Five suspects have been identified and are scheduled to appear before the Tarascon tribunal on 4 September on charges of organized extortion. The scheme appears to have spread to neighboring departments, including Ardèche, Vaucluse, Bouches‑du‑Rhône and Drôme.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of the Pays d’Arles, led by president Stéphane Paglia, has urged all potentially affected merchants to file or update police reports, emphasizing that each testimony helps authorities gauge the scope of the crime and strengthen the pending prosecutions.
Entities: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Gard (CCI Gard) · Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Pays d’Arles (CCI du Pays d’Arles) · Five suspects in organized extortion case · Gard department (France) · National Police of Gard · Pays d'Arles · Stéphane Paglia · Tarascon · Tarascon Tribunal