On Saturday 24 October 2026 customs officers from the Fréjus brigade checked a Spanish-plated Renault Clio hire car at the Vidauban Sud rest area on the A8 motorway in Var.[1][2] The lone driver, a 20-year-old Spanish national, said he was travelling from Spain to Italy to visit his girlfriend.[1][2]

In the boot, officers found a sports bag and a suitcase holding ten heat-sealed plastic pouches with 5.35 kg of cannabis herb and 10 g of cannabis resin; customs valued the load at 53,610 euros.[1][2]

The man appeared in immediate trial at Draguignan criminal court on Tuesday 27 October.[1][2] He described himself as a seasonal cook who was unemployed and said he had agreed to transport the drugs for money promised on arrival; the court treated that as his account only.[1][2] Judges sentenced him to one year in prison with a committal warrant, five years’ exclusion from French territory, a customs fine of 53,610 euros matching the seized value, and confiscation of two mobile phones; the drugs were to be destroyed.[1][2]