Investigators from the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU) Headquarters took over the investigation of the backpack that a woman in her fifties handed over to the police officers of the Grand-Gaube police station in the afternoon of Saturday January 22. In the bag, there was a plastic container with a quantity of heroin in the form of 2 granules, more than 453 grams. The market value of this drug is estimated at Rs 6.8 million. This 57 year old woman explained to the police that a resident of the village, namely Jean Cédric Alexandre Simiss, 18 years old, had entrusted this bag to his 14 year old granddaughter, the sister of the ex-girlfriend of this young man. “Linn dir are mo ti zenfan pa ouver sak, pou gagn enn ta kas ek sa,” the grandmother told the police.
Subsequently, an operation was mounted and resulted in the arrest of Alexandre Simiss. After being brought before the Bail and Remand Court (BRC) in Port-Louis on Sunday, January 23, he was presented once again before the court in Pamplemousses on Monday morning, January 24. He is facing a provisional charge of drug trafficking. Immediately alerted to this case, the Superintendent of Police, Ramesh Badal was dispatched to oversee this investigation.
The news came as a bombshell in the coastal village of Grand Gaube on Saturday afternoon, January 22. A resident returned Rs 6.8 million of heroin to the local police station. The case occurred at around 1:10 pm when this grandmother, carrying a backpack and accompanied by her 14 year old daughter, showed up at the police station. She asked the officers to check the contents, which she suspected were illegal substances. The bag, she explained, was given to her daughter by Alexandre Simiss, who is the ex-boyfriend of the 14-year-old’s older sister.
Although after opening the plastic container, a chemical smell came out, but the majority of the police officers present had never seen such a drug. They then sought the help of their colleagues from the ADSU for an opinion. The latter had to confirm that this substance was indeed a drug. As for the fifty-year-old, she told the police, “mo pa konn nanien dan sa zafer la”.
After a long interrogation, the little girl and her grandmother were allowed to leave the police station around 8pm. As for Alexandre Simiss, he was arrested around 2:40 pm at his home. When confronted with the accusation against him, he declared, “mo pou donn mo lenket demin en presans mo avoka”. The same day, the seized drugs were transferred to the ADSU headquarters to be kept as evidence in this case. As of yesterday afternoon, Alexandre Simiss was still being held in police custody in a police station in the northern division.
