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| Son of French Connection drug ring mastermind jailed for trafficking cocaine | Son of French Connection drug ring mastermind jailed for trafficking cocaine |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The son of one of the men behind the world’s most prolific heroin smuggling ring, dubbed the “French Connection”, has been jailed for six years for trafficking cocaine. | |
| Didier Filippi, 54, was found guilty on Tuesday of trafficking cocaine between Marseille and the French Riviera. | Didier Filippi, 54, was found guilty on Tuesday of trafficking cocaine between Marseille and the French Riviera. |
| His father Homere Filippi was the mastermind behind a gang that shipped vast quantities of heroin from Turkey to the United States via France and Canada in the 1960s and 1970s. | His father Homere Filippi was the mastermind behind a gang that shipped vast quantities of heroin from Turkey to the United States via France and Canada in the 1960s and 1970s. |
| He disappeared without a trace following the 1981 murder of French judge Pierre Michel for which he was convicted of ordering and subsequently sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment in 1988. | He disappeared without a trace following the 1981 murder of French judge Pierre Michel for which he was convicted of ordering and subsequently sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment in 1988. |
| His son was found to have sold 11kg (24lb) of cocaine between September 2013 and March 2015. | His son was found to have sold 11kg (24lb) of cocaine between September 2013 and March 2015. |
| Several other defendants in the case, heard at a court in Draguignan, south-east France, were sentenced to between 30 months and six years for their involvement in the drug ring. | Several other defendants in the case, heard at a court in Draguignan, south-east France, were sentenced to between 30 months and six years for their involvement in the drug ring. |
| Related: French Connection man fights to have new drug case against him dismissed | Related: French Connection man fights to have new drug case against him dismissed |
| Mathieu Bedjadi-Zampa, the son of another French Connection mastermind – Gaetan Zampa – was also accused in the case but killed himself before the verdicts could be delivered. | Mathieu Bedjadi-Zampa, the son of another French Connection mastermind – Gaetan Zampa – was also accused in the case but killed himself before the verdicts could be delivered. |
| Prosecutors said that the case against the defendants could have been titled “the children of the French Connection”. | Prosecutors said that the case against the defendants could have been titled “the children of the French Connection”. |
| They added that the “very well organised network” had generated profits of more than €100,000 ($110,000) in just two years. | They added that the “very well organised network” had generated profits of more than €100,000 ($110,000) in just two years. |
| The investigation began in September 2013 following the discovery of three packets of white powder in a vehicle belonging to Filippi during a customs check. | The investigation began in September 2013 following the discovery of three packets of white powder in a vehicle belonging to Filippi during a customs check. |
| France’s role in the international heroin trade was famously portrayed in the 1971 film “The French Connection”. | France’s role in the international heroin trade was famously portrayed in the 1971 film “The French Connection”. |
| In 1972, French customs police in Marseille seized 425kg of heroin as part of an operation that broke up the network. | In 1972, French customs police in Marseille seized 425kg of heroin as part of an operation that broke up the network. |