The Saint-Denis criminal court in Réunion sentenced three young adults on 3 October 2025 in a cannabis trafficking case between Orly and Réunion.[1] The two women and one man had been charged with drug trafficking, money laundering and criminal association for acts committed between June and July 2024.[1] Customs put the value of the seized drug at nearly 300,000 euros.[1]

The first accused, a 21-year-old from Paris, was arrested on arrival in Réunion on 21 July 2024 with nearly 20 kilos of cannabis in her luggage.[1] In police custody she admitted the facts and named her accomplices, allowing investigators to open a judicial inquiry.[1] Released under judicial supervision, she was free at the hearing, saying she acted to “earn money easily” without knowing the exact quantity she carried.[1]

Tania Gueye, 20, said she agreed to carry drugs in July 2024 after being recruited on social media by Jonathan John-Baptiste, known as “Franklin”.[1] She said she was taped up with the products on her body, photographed before departure and paid 3,000 euros, delivering the goods in Réunion before carrying money back to mainland France.[1] In court she tried to retract her statement, speaking of clothing, but the court dismissed that account over its inconsistencies and the material evidence.[1] Investigators placed 27-year-old Jonathan John-Baptiste behind the trips, a man with nine previous entries on his record, including one for drug trafficking.[1] He was watched driving a BMW in the Paris region despite limited means and was caught out by his six phones and his notes of quantities, cash and apparent orders.[1] He acknowledged acting as an intermediary but denied organising several trips.[1]

The prosecutor sought sentences of three to six years, and the court partly followed.[1] The first mule was sentenced to three years, eighteen months of them suspended with probation, in an adjustable sentence.[1] Tania Gueye was sentenced to three years in prison without suspension, with continued detention.[1] Jonathan John-Baptiste was sentenced to five years in prison without suspension, also with continued detention.[1] All three were banned from Réunion for five years and ordered jointly to pay a customs fine of 297,500 euros.[1]