Joël Soudron, a drug trafficking fugitive, was arrested in Panama after years on the run.

On Sunday, March 29, Joël Soudron was arrested in Panama. Panamanian authorities and French sources confirmed the arrest of the 46-year-old Guadeloupean, described by investigators as a key figure in the drug trafficking network that had been targeted for several years. He was traveling with a genuine French passport issued under a false identity, a detail that speaks volumes about the seriousness of his clandestine activities and the vulnerabilities they entailed.

On Balboa Avenue, a busy area of ​​Panama City, police arrested him despite an Interpol Red Notice issued by France. A video released by local authorities shows a handcuffed man, wearing a short orange polo shirt, surrounded by Panamanian police officers and Interpol agents. Investigators say they checked his documents, including a temporary residence permit that they believe contains "false information."

An arrest in the street, extradition in sight

This arrest marks the end of a manhunt that began in September 2018. Joël Soudron failed to return to Réau prison (Seine-et-Marne) after being granted a temporary release while serving a sentence handed down in France. Since then, he had been considered a priority target by intelligence services, a status that cannot be fabricated and which meant his name was constantly circulating in files and international communications.

The man is wanted in two cases in France, according to the same sources. In one of the cases, he was sentenced in 2016 to six years in prison for organizing a cocaine trafficking operation between Cayenne, Pointe-à-Pitre and Orly in the early 2000s. The investigation began with the arrest at Orly of a passenger arriving from French Guiana with 7,79 kg of cocaine hidden in a dog cage; according to the investigations, plane tickets had been paid for by Joël Soudron.