The French authorities announced the dismantling of a large weapons smuggling network this week, which included military personnel, and the arrest of 10 people pending investigation.
The authorities indicated that investigators are working to determine the exact path of these weapons, which may be sold to drug traffickers and supporters of the extreme right.
It indicated that 10 people were arrested last Tuesday, during a campaign in the suburbs of Paris, southern and eastern France, between the ages of 25 and 57, on charges of “acquisition, possession and transfer of weapons of categories A and B (military weapons and pistols)” and “belonging to an organized gang.”
The Public Prosecutor stated that the network includes two military personnel aged 31 years, one of whom works in the Ministry of Defense and the second at a base in the east of the country, in addition to former soldiers and amateurs to collect weapons, some of whom are suspected of having links with the “extreme right-wing movement.”
