French police have apprehended one of the most wanted drug traffickers, Joël Soudron, in Panama. Procureur Laure Beccuau of Paris confirmed the arrest and extradition procedures are in progress. Soudron, a 46-year-old man from Guadeloupe, was sought in connection with a large cocaine trafficking case involving containers, being investigated by the Paris JIRS. The case dates back to November 18, 2011, when customs officers seized 231 kg of cocaine from a container arriving at the port of Le Havre from Guadeloupe.
Further investigations by OFAST revealed that between 20 to 30 cocaine convoys had been carried out since 2005, with six occurring in 2011. This is not the first time Soudron has been arrested for drug-related offenses. He was previously detained in Mali in October 2016 and sentenced to six years in prison by a court in Creteil, Paris, for drug trafficking. He escaped during a temporary release in December 2018, fleeing from France.
Soudron is scheduled to stand trial on June 11, 2026, in Paris for the drug trafficking charges, among others. An earlier ruling from September 3, 2025, has already decided to proceed with his trial on charges of drug importation and trafficking, money laundering, possession of a category B weapon, smuggling dangerous goods harmful to health, and involvement in a criminal association. Besides Soudron, eight other individuals will also be facing trial in relation to this case.
