French lawmaker admits police caught him buying drugs

A French lawmaker on Tuesday admitted that police caught him trying to buy drugs last week.

“On Thursday, 17 October, 2024, I was stopped in possession of narcotics,” the parliamentarian, Andy Kerbrat, said in a statement posted to X. “I immediately admitted to the charges against me.”

Kerbrat, who is a member of the left-wing New Popular Front alliance and represents the northwestern region of Loire-Atlantique in the French National Assembly, issued his statement after right-leaning newspaper Valeurs Actuelles published a story revealing that Kerbrat had been detained while attempting to purchase the synthetic drug 3-MMC at a Paris metro station.

Kerbrat expressed regret that his close circle, including his parliamentary team and political allies, had learned about the arrest through media revelations before he could inform them personally.

The 34-year-old admitted to struggling with drug addiction for some time and vowed to seek help. “Addiction is a public health issue and must be treated as such,” he said.

Several of Kerbrat’s political allies on the left voiced support for him following the news, including Sandrine Rousseau of the Greens.“Drug use and addiction are an issue of care, mental health and support. You recognized, you are in a treatment path. Come back to us in good shape,” Rousseau said on X.

Right-wing politicians, however, were quick to criticize Kerbrat. Among them were new hard-line Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who said Kerbrat must face consequences for his actions, especially at a time when the drug trade is fueling what he called a “procession of violence” in French cities like Marseille.

“It is intolerable to see a member of parliament buying synthetic drugs from a street dealer,” Retailleau said on X.