An investigation has been entrusted to the Montpellier police after the discovery of a 40-year-old man from Montpellier during a flight to La Réunion. The man had ingested a large quantity of drugs, leading to a fatal overdose. The investigation aims to shed light on an international drug trafficking network.
A man in his forties from Montpellier is said to have ingested as many as 77 bags of cocaine before a flight. Some were poorly sealed, causing the drugs to disperse in his digestive system. A father of three and a gospel singer, he was a heavy user of these substances according to his loved ones.
Due to the man’s death in January 2025 on a flight to La Réunion from an overdose, the incident forced the plane to make an emergency landing in Djibouti. An investigation has been opened and entrusted to the Montpellier police (Hérault), as reported by Midi Libre. Judicial information has been opened for “drug trafficking, involuntary manslaughter, administration of harmful substances leading to death, money laundering, and human trafficking.”
The purpose of the investigation by the Montpellier police is to expose a larger network revealed by the arrest of this trafficker. According to his acquaintances, he had agreed to transport drugs to La Réunion and French Polynesia multiple times to repay personal debts. Some of his friends reportedly joined him in the network.
These transactions allegedly take place in an international drug trafficking network, with several suspected individuals who are believed to be traffickers leaving French territory after learning of the forty-year-old man’s arrest on the plane, who was presumably “a mule” (a person carrying a large quantity of drugs on them).
This network is believed to have broader implications as another man from Montpellier was identified after being deported from San Francisco (United States) during a layover to Tahiti. At the time of his deportation, he was in possession of 169 grams of cocaine and 59 grams of MDMA, also known as ecstasy.
The potential recruiter of these two drug smugglers in question has also been identified and is also from the Montpellier region. A 46-year-old, he was indicted and imprisoned in late March after the discovery of cocaine and cannabis during a raid. The network to which these individuals belong allegedly threatened the families of the “mules” by demanding repayment for the lost merchandise. According to 1re Réunion – France Info, 58 “mules” were arrested in 2025 as a result.
