France cracks down on drug trafficking: dealer sentenced and seized Audi RS3 deployed by gendarmerie

A 35‑year‑old man identified as Émile Simile was sentenced on Monday to two years in prison, a custodial order and a two‑year ban from the towns of Angoulême and Soyaux. The court found him guilty of trafficking cannabis and cocaine after surveillance footage captured him hiding 39 g of cannabis in a planter on the Champ de Mars in Angoulême. He had previously amassed ten criminal records and was linked to a broader drug network operating since May.

In a separate enforcement action in Normandy, authorities confiscated a high‑performance Audi RS3 that had been used by a drug trafficker. The 407‑horsepower vehicle, seized in 2025, was refurbished at a cost of about €1,500 and fitted with police lights and sirens. It has since been assigned to the French gendarmerie’s rapid‑intervention team, enhancing their capability to pursue speeding violations and other traffic offenses.