After an eight-month investigation opened in late October 2022, French police moved in early July 2023 on a large indoor cannabis warehouse in Morette, a village of about 400 people some 30 kilometres west of Grenoble.[1][2]
The warehouse held two growing complexes: a 375-square-metre structure with electrical, ventilation, hydration, UV and drying systems containing more than 1,550 plants (508 kilos), and a 300-square-metre structure with 2,500 plants (693 kilos).[1][2] In total about 4,000 plants weighing roughly 1.1 tonnes were found, and the growing equipment and plants, valued at an estimated 10 to 15 million euros for resale, were destroyed on site with the prosecutor’s authorisation.[1][2]
Six people were arrested and jailed: four Albanians aged 18 to 35, a 52-year-old accomplice from Grenoble and the 55-year-old warehouse owner; investigators described an Albanian team tied to Grenoble residents running large-scale trafficking from the site.[1][2] Two Albanian farm workers were sentenced that week to 7 and 10 months in prison with immediate committal plus a five-year ban from France, while the other four were brought before the court on Friday and remanded in custody for sentencing on 9 August.[1][2]
