Thousands of ecstasy tabs seized in eastern France

More than 21,000 ecstasy tabs were seized from a car on Saturday in the eastern department of Haute-Saone in France, customs officials announced on Tuesday. The car was making a delivery from the Netherlands to the city of Besançon in eastern France. 

More than 21,000 ecstasy tabs were seized from a car on Saturday 21 February in the eastern department of Haute-Saone in France. Commons Wikimedia

The drug – blue tabs in the shape of the number “8” with a street value close to 160,000 euros – were hidden behind one of the wheels of the car, according to a report by the Customs Directorate in Montreuil near Paris.

The merchandise was to be sold in the area of Besançon particularly in “hip and techno music circles,” a customs spokesperson said.

The 32-year-old driver was arrested during the night of Friday to Saturday in the city of Luxeuil-les-Bains, about an hour's drive from Besançon where he lives.

He was caught after a car chase with customs officers who had checked the vehicle earlier a few kilometres away.

The suspect is to appear before a magistrate in Vesoul in eastern France on Tuesday afternoon.

The drug seizure and the arrest were the result of an investigation that started at the end of 2014, customs services said, adding that the amount of drug confiscated was “massive”.

In 2013, about 360,000 ecstasy tabs were seized in France by customs.