Le Monde
A former influencer known as ‘PA7’ and a counterfeiter known as ‘the Prince of Fake Luxury Watches’ are suspected of having illegally imported hundreds of kilograms of ‘Cali’ marijuana.
The goods, meticulously packaged, were Californian-made. The first shipments consisted of just a few dozen kilograms to test the reliability of the logistics; then, once the business was running smoothly, shipments grew to over 100 kilograms. Hidden inside consignments of furniture, clothing or arcade gaming machines, the Californian cannabis was transported on increasingly large pallets. Over the course of 2025, the product became one of the most sought-after items on the illegal market.
An unusual duo, until now far removed from the typical world of drug traffickers, is suspected by French investigators of orchestrating this large-scale drug trade. Both men are known as high-profile scam artists, very active on social media, where they each built their image as successful entrepreneurs through various scams and by staging extravagant, luxurious lifestyles.
Paul A., known as “PA7,” now 28, was an influencer living a lavish lifestyle in Dubai before being caught for embezzling more than €7.5 million in public funds linked to Covid-19 aid. Julien V., 31, was dubbed by the media as “the Prince of Fake Luxury Watches” due to his leading a vast counterfeit watch network based in Thailand, where he was ultimately apprehended and deported to France. After serving their respective sentences and being released from prison, the two appear to have formed an unlikely alliance and found a new….
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