Gendarmes arrested a man in his forties at his home in a small village in the canton of Lauzerte and placed him in custody at the gendarmerie brigade for drug possession and use.[1] Released the next day, he was summoned to appear before the Montauban correctional court for possession and use of narcotics.[1]

Gendarmes seized about fifteen flowering cannabis plants grown in a dedicated room fitted with ventilation and air conditioning, sodium lamps and a humidifier.[1] The plants held nearly a kilogram of cannabis herb that was almost ready for harvest.[1] Laboratory analysis measured an exceptionally high THC level of 15 percent in the plants.[1]

A patrol discovered the grow by chance while conducting door-to-door inquiries over a burglary, after noticing a strong smell coming from a shed and asking the owner to open it.[1] The growing equipment was seized and was to be destroyed along with the plants, which were stored at the brigade.[1]

The brigade commander said the canton was very prone to such offences because its large area, scattered homes and low population density gave growers discretion, adding that most were private individuals growing for their own use.[1]