Cars, watches and luxury clothing, furniture or gold coins… An auction of 277 lots seized in drug trafficking cases will take place on Tuesday at the Court of Appeal in Paris.
This sale will begin at 1:30 p.m., online and in the so-called “major trials” room, according to a press release from the Agency for the Management and Recovery of Seized and Forfeited Assets (Agrasc). This large room was built in the historic Palace of Justice of the capital to house the trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015 and the trial of the Mediator case is currently taking place.
Total prize money: 700,000 euros
All the lots in the catalog have been seized by the courts from people suspected or convicted of drug trafficking. They are considered acquired with the money from these crimes. Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti is expected to arrive at the scene late in the morning, his entourage said.
Twenty-five vehicles are being sold, including a Lamborghini valued at 160,000 euros, but also motorcycles, quads and bicycles, game consoles and vacuum cleaners, furniture, clothing and branded leather goods such as Dior pajamas, Louboutin shoes and Vuitton bags, Rolex watches (prices up to 8,000 euros), gold coins and jewelry… The total amount of prices reaches almost 700,000 euros, but other goods, such as boats and cars, must also be sold abroad.
771 million euros in criminal assets seized in 2022
The sale is organized by Agrasc, which manages the assets seized by the courts since 2011, as well as by the National Directorate of State Interventions (DNID). The amounts collected must be donated to the Interministerial Mission to Fight Drugs and Addictive Behaviors (MIDELCA).
“The organization of this event responds to the need to communicate to the general public about the actions of the public powers so that crime does not pay and acquires a particular symbology since it takes place in a unique and historical place, embodying the center of power judicial and financial since the Middle Ages”, writes Agrasc.
The amount of criminal asset seizures reached a new record in 2022, with more than 771 million euros seized, an increase of 6.3% over the previous year, the Ministry of Justice had announced in January. Since 2021, four regional Agrasc branches have been created, in Marseille, Lyon, Rennes and Lille, and three new branches are scheduled to open in spring 2023 in Bordeaux, Nancy and Fort-de-France.
Source: BFM TV
