French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced police raids and several arrests as part of the government’s bid to demonstrate its commitment to tackling drug trafficking and urban crime ahead of European elections, AP News reported.
Darmanin stated that police units conducted raids in the northern city of Lille, as well as in Villeneuve-d’Ascq and Roubaix. He claimed the authorities were “going to multiply the operations that we have prepared for months to hit very hard.” The operations will continue with checks and searches of residential buildings.
Some critics attribute the government’s efforts to a desire of improving its chances ahead of the European Parliament elections, which will be held on 6-9 June.
During a recent trip to the southern port city of Marseille, which is often linked to drug trafficking, President Emmanuel Macron pledged that about 10 such operations would be carried out in France in the coming weeks.
