Overview
- Customs at the Perthus toll crossing on the France–Spain border stopped a Spain‑registered motorcycle in mid‑afternoon on Monday, May 11, and found 71.5 kilos of cocaine.
- Officers discovered tightly wrapped bricks in the side and rear cases and in a travel bag strapped to the bike.
- A Perpignan court convicted the rider days later and ordered five years in prison with detention maintained.
- The sentence included a ten‑year ban from French territory and a customs fine of about €3.5 million.
- French customs called it one of the largest cocaine seizures ever made on a motorcycle, highlighting active trafficking routes through the Pyrénées‑Orientales.