Law against drug trafficking: left-wing MPs refer the matter to the Constitutional Council

Insoumis, ecologist and communist elected officials are particularly denouncing the creation of high-security sections in prisons for the most dangerous traffickers.

The Sages will have to rule on the new text to combat drug trafficking. Left-wing MPs announced on Wednesday, May 7, that they had referred numerous articles of the law adopted by Parliament to the Constitutional Council. According to them, it "poses serious threats to our rule of law."

The rebellious, ecologist and communist elected officials behind the first appeal are particularly critical of the much-discussed creation of high-security prison units for the most dangerous traffickers. They see it as a "legislative rider" without sufficient connection to the initial text, which, they point out, contained "no provisions relating to the prison regime" .

The deputies also criticize the law's vague wording, particularly in its ambition to "prevent the pursuit or establishment of links" with criminal networks. "The text does not specify the nature or intensity of the 'links' to be prevented," they criticize, judging that it also contravenes "human dignity" by providing for a "systematization of full body searches without sufficient supervision."

Another section of the law targeted: the experimentation with the use of algorithmic intelligence against drug trafficking, a technique already authorized against terrorism and foreign interference, but "disproportionately invasive of privacy," according to left-wing MPs. They also call for censorship of the remote activation of an electronic device for wiretapping, or a one-month ban on appearing in places linked to trafficking activities.

The creation of a separate report, to avoid disclosing certain information to traffickers and their lawyers, is also targeted. MPs consider this contrary to the "rights of the defense" and a "fair trial."

The rebels have also filed a second appeal, which notably points to the creation of a national anti-narcotics prosecution service. This major measure in the text is likely to "create unequal treatment between defendants," write the representatives of the radical left.