“I was looking for a source of income,” explains Tesfaye Desmoniere. I came across a person who agreed to house me if I trafficked.” The 20-year-old man was the subject of an immediate appearance at the court of Compiègne For transportation and use of cannabis and heroin. He received a seven-month prison sentence with suspended probation.
It all starts on November 18, 2024, in the Clos-des-Roses district of Compiègne. The police carry out a check on a deal point. The individuals flee. Tesfaye Desmoniere is caught and directly admits to the police that he is in possession of drugs. He explains that he bought some for resale. On his phone, the police found an accounting table, which seemed to justify the defendant’s comments.
Later, during an identity check at Square Charpentier, the defendant was arrested with 790 euros in cash. In a nearby cellar, 69.9 grams of cannabis resin and 27 grams of heroin were found.
“I didn’t really have a choice, I had debts”
The judge asks him why, after his first arrest, the defendant continued to deal. He replied: “I didn’t really have a choice. I had debts and I couldn’t go anywhere else.”
Tesfaye Desmoniere recognizes the facts. “A friend from Martinique gave me contacts,” he says. The defendant arrived in mainland France two months ago to reunite with his family. His mother lives in Montpellier and his father in Toulouse. According to the defense lawyer: “My client did not reunite with his family because he was afraid of not living up to the future his parents hoped for him.” “My mother always put up with my stupidities, I wanted to let her breathe,” he adds.
Ban on appearing in Compiègne
The defendant has only one conviction on his criminal record for gang theft. He stopped his studies in second grade. “I didn’t do much after that…” he admits. After working for 3 months in restaurants, Tesfaye Desmoniere talks about the desire to return to her studies.
Maître Jonathan Sorriaux, defense lawyer, recalls that the defendant benefits from “strong support from his mother”. “She told me on the phone ‘tell him that he’s a little idiot but that I love him’”, he continues.
Tesfaye Desmoniere receives seven months in prison with suspended probation. He will have to prove that he has a job and follow an obligation of care in addiction treatment. The defendant is also banned from appearing in Compiègne.
Camille VOLPOET
