Bent French customs officers 'caught with drug money'
Seven customs officers have been arrested for allegedly taking money from drug traffickers at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. They have been indicted for theft, handling stolen goods and corruption.
It was during an investigation into a drug trafficking network that the police spotted a customs officer taking a bag full of cash belonging to a suspected drug trafficker.
A first the police officers belonging to the anti-drug force Ocrtis suspected the customs employee of stealing bags.
But an investigation into his background led officers to suspect he was involved in a corruption ring, Le Monde reports.
Police began monitoring customs officers working in the same area. According to the agency, they were caught taking bags of money from alleged cocaine traffickers who used commercial flights to transfer drug money.
According to Le Figaro, seven customs officers have admitted to taking money from luggage transiting at the Charles de Gaulle airport.
Over €5.5 million was discovered in bank accounts in the tax haven Andorra and €157,000 were also found at the suspects’ homes, the French prosecution reported
Currently, the customs officers are suspected of corruption, but police sources quoted by le Monde said the investigation could go further.
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