French police have arrested the mayor of the town of Avallon after 70kg of cannabis was found at her home on Sunday, AFP and BFM TV have reported, citing law enforcement sources.
Jamilah Habsaoui has been mayor of Avallon, a town of about 6,000 people approximately 250km southeast of Paris in Bourgogne-Franche-Comte region, since 2021 and is also a regional councilor. Her home was raided as part of a preliminary investigation into drug trafficking.
The 46-year-old politician bought the property three years ago but does not reside there, L’Yonne Republicaine, a local newspaper, reported. It added that Avallon's town hall had also been searched.
A total of seven people were detained in the operation, including two of Habsaoui’s brothers, AFP reported, citing Auxerre's public prosecutor, Hugues de Phily. He added that 983 grams of cocaine, €7,000 ($7,600) in cash, and around 20 gold bars were seized in several locations.
The raid was part of a wider anti-narcotics campaign dubbed ‘Place nette XXL’ that was launched earlier this year. Some 473 raids have been carried out, leading to the arrest of over 7,000 suspects and the confiscation of 3.6 metric tons of drugs, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.