Andorran Police Arrest French Couple and Baby on Interpol Drug Alert
Authorities detain a French man accused of leading a cocaine and cannabis network, his partner, and their infant daughter in Andorra, pending.
Key Points
- Arrested in El Tarter following Interpol red notice from France.
- Man accused of masterminding cocaine/cannabis distribution in SW France; partner charged with trafficking and laundering.
- Child placed in protection centre; adults held in La Comella prison awaiting extradition.
- No drugs found; man deemed dangerous with prior offences and false identities.
**Andorran police detain French couple and their infant daughter over Interpol drug trafficking alert**
Andorran authorities arrested a 32-year-old French man and his 28-year-old partner in El Tarter, Canillo parish, on Thursday morning, following an Interpol red notice from France. The couple, who had been staying in a tourist apartment since Sunday, were taken into custody along with their daughter, aged just over one year. Both adults were transferred to La Comella prison that afternoon pending an expected French extradition request. The child has been placed at the Gavernera child protection centre while relatives are located, as she is still breastfeeding and prison facilities are not equipped for family detention.
French investigators accuse the man of masterminding a network distributing cannabis and cocaine across the Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments from January 2023 to November 2025. He allegedly organised cocaine shipments from the Paris region to southern France and is considered a high-level operator with subordinates, including his partner, who faces charges of large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering. Sources describe the pair as linked to Moroccan clans dominating cocaine supply, with the woman of Maghrebi origin. The man has multiple prior drug offences, uses false identities, is deemed dangerous due to his size and experience, and was reportedly fleeing towards Spain in a vehicle packed with belongings. No drugs were found on them at the time of arrest.
The Interpol notice activated on Tuesday amid suspicions the fugitives might be in Spain, Andorra, or Morocco. Andorran police verified their presence, informed the Ministry of Justice and Interior per the Qualified Extradition Law, and prosecutors ordered the detentions, handled by specialist intervention teams. The couple will appear before a judge in Andorra la Vella as France prepares formal extradition proceedings, which local authorities expect to approve barring procedural issues.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources:
- Altaveu•
Internen a la Gavernera la filla menor dels dos traficants detinguts al Tarter fugint de França
- Diari d'Andorra•
Detinguda una parella buscada per tràfic de drogues i blanqueig
- Altaveu•
Andorra enxampa al Tarter un traficant buscat per França i que es fugava cap a Espanya
- ARA•
La policia deté dos fugitius buscats per França per tràfic de drogues i blanqueig de diners
- El Periòdic•
Detinguda al Tarter una parella buscada per la justícia francesa per una xarxa de tràfic de drogues i blanqueig de diners