Masks, a rare commodity in the midst of a coronavirus epidemic, arouse lust: for the first time, Thursday 12th April, a man was sentenced for the illegal resale in Paris.
It is the first, it is not the last: Thursday 2nd April 2020 in Paris, a man was sentenced to one year in prison for the illegal resale of masks. 20,000 masks had been seized from his home in the 19th arrondissement.
Fifteen investigations in progress after seizures of masks
One year in prison without a warrant and 10,000 euros fine. This is the conviction pronounced at first instance by the Paris court, Thursday, April 2, against the man prosecuted for “deceptive commercial practices” and “refusal to submit to an administrative requisition”, reports Franceinfo. The masks are requisitioned by the government.
At the end of March, the public prosecutor of Paris, Rémy Heitz, pointed out the increase in “delinquency of opportunity”:
“We have cases of traffic in masks and hydroalcoholic gel in pharmacies.”
Over the days, since the start of the coronavirus crisis, the business has multiplied in the capital. On March 18, nearly 16,000 masks were seized in the 19th. On March 19, a thousand were discovered in a parapharmacy in the 16th arrondissement. On 24 March, more than 16,000 masks were recovered in the 1st district.
In Paris, the seizure record was recorded on March 27th in a van in the 16th arrondissement: 23,000 masks loaded by an individual who sold them to health professionals. In total, around fifteen investigations are underway.
