Two Romanian drivers received huge fines in France, based on a new law. One of them was sanctioned with 25 million euros, and the other with 14 million euros.
Record fines in France for two Romanian drivers. Photo: Shutterstock
Two Romanian drivers became, in just a few months, the protagonists of major drug trafficking files on the territory of France. In addition to the prison sentence, the two were sanctioned with record fines, 14, respectively 25 million euros, based on a new law adopted by the French authorities in January 2025, which provides fines equal to the estimated drug.
The first case took place recently, near Marseille. A Romanian driver who was driving a truck registered in Romania was stopped at a tax point, and his agitated behavior attracted the attention of the police, who decided to carry out a thorough search. Following the control, the agents discovered 206 kilograms of pure cocaine hidden in the vehicle trailer.
The driver had come from Barcelona and was destined for Italy. He was arrested on the spot and risks a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. In addition to the charge of international drug trafficking, it also received a huge fine: 14 million euros.
Carry almost half a ton of cocaine
But the absolute record was established in February 2025, when another Romanian driver was caught carrying an even larger amount of drugs.
According to an official post of the French authorities on the X platform, then taken over by the international press, the man, “a Romanian citizen without a legal employment contract”, said he was transporting cosmetics, coming from Portugal and having as a destination Germany. However, the control of the authorities revealed a completely different reality: 438 kilograms of cocaine were in his truck.
Based on the new legislation, the fine applied to it was 25 million euros, reflecting the estimated market value of the drugs discovered.
The new law entered into force at the beginning of 2025 in France aims to discourage drug trafficking in the country and stipulate that, if a person is caught transporting banned substances on the territory of the country, it will be sanctioned with a fine equal to the value of the confiscated drugs.
Although the measure has been criticized by some as excessively hard, the French authorities claim that it is a necessary response to increasing drug traffic in Western Europe.
In just a few months after implementation, this law has already generated record sanctions, with the two Romanian drivers in the foreground of statistics. Both cases are under criminal investigation, and the French courts will also establish the deprivation of liberty, in addition to the financial fines.
