French PM Lecornu demands 'change of scale' in response to drug trafficking after first interministerial meeting deemed insufficient

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Friday chaired the first interministerial committee on organized crime and told ministers their proposals were "technical and insufficient," demanding "a change of scale of the response" to drug trafficking.

Lecornu said the government must escalate its fight against narcotrafficking, which his entourage described as having "changed in nature and dimension." The prime minister stated: "Matignon va s'investir dans le dossier car cela ne saurait être seulement que le sujet du ministre de l'intérieur Laurent Nuñez et du garde des sceaux Gérald Darmanin." He announced that Education Minister Édouard Geffray "will also be a frontline participant on this dossier."

Twelve ministers attended the meeting, including Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou, Education Minister Édouard Geffray, Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and government spokesperson Maud Bregeon. The committee was the first of its kind dedicated to organized crime.

The government faces a succession of drug-related murders since the start of the year, with growing involvement of minors as victims or perpetrators. Participants described organized crime as undergoing "deep mutations" marked by "globalization," "digitalization," "rejuvenation," and "disinhibition." Lecornu's entourage said a new committee will be held soon "with a different method."