Toulouse: the daily life of the little hands of drug trafficking
Young boys are hired to serve as lookouts or salespeople in a company that has its own rules. Dive into their daily life.
For two years, Momo’s days * were punctuated by the same ritual. Every day at the stroke of noon, the 15-year-old kid sat down on a chair at the end of the hall of a dilapidated building in his city located in the Grand Mirail. Cap screwed to his head, his satchel filled with narcotics, he greeted the uninterrupted ballet of customers. An immutable daily in which he distinguished himself. To the point of having a promotion from his “employer” who asked him to “position the lookouts”. At that time, he pocketed nearly 200 euros and sold more than ten thousand euros of cannabis, resin, cocaine …
His day was often punctuated by unexpected sprints. At the discretion of the lookouts who threw the “Arrah” (shout that warns of the arrival of the police, Editor’s note). The remuneration of these whistleblowers is less important, a penny at most. “Each a position essential to the proper functioning of the company,” he confides.
From the world into which the traffickers did not wish or were able to enter, they reproduce certain mechanisms. Marketing has a special place, like large companies. On social networks, deal points publish promotional videos and job offers. Even if spontaneous applications are the norm. The profile of the little hands in this nebulous world often oscillates between 12 and 18 years old. If in this illegal world the Labor Code does not apply, they must respect some rules that dictate their day. In particular the schedules. Under the leadership of the manager, dealers and lookouts occupy the “oven” (point of deal, Editor’s note) between noon and midnight. Sometimes in turn. “Either you work full time and you cash in the 12 hours, or you do a part time and you get replaced,” says Momo.
A lack of resources?
In recent years, the number of deal points has increased in Toulouse. The police declared war on them, increasing the number of shots. A daily presence of the police which does not frighten the traffickers. Many social actors are trying to get young people out of this cycle. But how do you convince young people who have received a staggering salary, net of tax, to find the path to legality?
In the Grand Mirail, Rachid Temmar, president of the Cap Jeunes 31 association, works in contact with the small hands of the traffic. “Some are overwhelmed by debts, especially due to PV, and go into business. The problem is that the neighborhoods are abandoned. We don’t have enough resources. We need even more associations on the ground, ”he assures us.
Getting out of the rut is not easy for traffickers. Yassin *, a former drug dealer, sold drugs for a year after professional disillusionment. “No one sees himself doing that. It is often an emergency solution, ”he analyzes. For him, “many young people want to get out”. “They are just waiting for a helping hand”, slices the repentant.