France: Pandemic raises cannabis prices on the illegal market

The prices of cannabis trafficked on the streets of French cities have been on the rise since stricter border control measures were imposed as part of the national lockdown to slow the coronavirus outbreak. The flow of illegal narcotics has become more difficult, leading criminal organizations to raise their prices. 

Cannabis use is still illegal in France, despite the country having one of the highest consumption rates in Europe. According to the union of the Gallic narcotics police, most of the cannabis resin that enters France comes from Morocco, via Spain, while the flowers are normally imported from the Netherlands. However, the border control measures applied in this period of pandemic due to the new coronavirus made prices soar.

“The price of a hash bar (100 grams) increased from 280 euros to 500 euros in just one week in Marseille,” said Yann Bastiere, representative of the police union, also revealing similar trends in Bordeaux and Rennes. 

France imposed home confinement on March 17, joining other European countries such as Spain, Austria and Germany in tightening controls at national borders.

“France is no longer able to obtain its supplies of cannabis and with the stoppage of exports in Morocco we are seeing a price increase in France, as supply decreases, and dealers charge bonuses,” said organized crime specialist Thierry Colombie. . 

Colombie claimed that approximately 70% of the hashish and cannabis sold on the streets of France was trafficked from Morocco, through Spain and through the Pyrenees. Most of the rest is transported through Belgium and the Netherlands.  

Situation in Portugal 

Last March, the Portuguese Judiciary Police stopped a transaction of 4 tons of hashish in Tavira, Algarve. The source of that same transaction would probably be similar to the source used by French drug trafficking criminal organizations: Morocco. With the quarantine and border control measures adopted by the Portuguese government, it is expected that the price of cannabis being traded illegally in Portugal will also experience a considerable increase in its value per gram during this pandemic period.

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Luis Costa

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