Drug dealer Petit Pierre” in Digne: 12 months in prison for cannabis traffic!

Drug dealer Petit Pierre” in Digne: 12 months in prison for cannabis traffic!

In Digne-les-Bains, a small but up-and-coming town in the southern Alps of France, the case of a cannabis dealer is currently making headlines. Pierre Balivet, 45 years old and known to locals as “Petit Pierre”, was convicted of drug trafficking before the Tribunal judiciaire. His case shines a bright light on the region's ongoing drug-related crime problems.

The police became aware of Balivet when they followed a known drug user to a trailer. There the officers discovered the former logger, who lives on a disability pension and the RSA. During the search, they not only found 2 grams of cannabis, but also a precision scale and several cannabis Barrettes. Balivet confessed to using the drugs to relieve pain after an accident. Nevertheless, his 19 previous convictions, including 12 for drug trafficking, tell a different story. Prosecutor Alexandra Pradalier accused him of not having learned from his mistakes despite his previous history and demanded a prison sentence of 12 months and a three-year ban on residence in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. The court followed this request and sentenced him accordingly. Le Dauphiné reports that…

A network is destroyed

The situation in Digne-les-Bains is not limited to Balivet. A major drug ring responsible for supplying narcotics was only recently uncovered. According to information from BFM TV, the network's leader, a third person, sentenced to three years and six months in prison. Police had conducted a comprehensive investigation, including phone tapping and surveillance, and last September they found eight suspects linked to the drug trade.

Five other men were also convicted in the operation, all of whom now face three-year bans from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Drug crime has increased dramatically in this region, which is also supported by other statistics such as those from Statista. In 2023, there were over 347,000 cases of drug-related crime in Germany, with a particular focus on cannabis, which still accounts for over 90 percent of offenses, despite gradual legalization since April 2024.

Drug crime as a social problem

The impact of drug-related crime should not be underestimated. Long-term health damage and an increasing risk for drug addicts are often observed. The number of drug deaths in Germany rose to a total of 2,230 in 2023, with Bremen as one of the cities affected. Particularly alarming is the number of drug deaths, which are rarely caused by acute overdoses, but rather by long-term health consequences. Despite intensive police action, the problem of drug-related crime remains commonplace and shows that there is still a long way to go to improve the situation.

The events surrounding Pierre Balivet and the Digne-les-Bains drug cartel are just the tip of the iceberg. While the judiciary tries to crack down on drug trafficking, the challenge remains to sustainably change consumption habits in society.