The majority of retail orders have moved to messengers.
In Grenoble, you can find work as a drug dealer through advertisements written directly on the walls of buildings in the city center.
No qualifications are required. The advertised rate is 300 euros a day for working from 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM for a drug dealer; stashers - 250€ a day; security - 200€; lookout - 150€. At night, it’s slightly less.
The Telegram channel "Real France" jokes: "Macron said it: work is everywhere! Just cross the street!"
The distribution of drugs in France is coordinated by highly structured criminal networks and is based on the digitalization of retail, courier delivery, and logistics chains through major transport hubs. According to data for 2026, this illegal market is undergoing a massive transformation, where the turnover of cocaine has surpassed that of traditional cannabis in profitability.
Logistics and Wholesale Supplies
France is both a major consumer market and a key transit hub in Western Europe. Sea ports: Major ports like Le Havre and Marseille serve as the main gateways for Latin American cocaine. Smuggling is hidden in intermodal shipping containers. Criminals use complex chemical methods of concealment (for example, soaking fabrics, charcoal, or cardboard in drugs).
"Air Bridges" and Couriers
About 20% of cocaine enters through air traffic from France's overseas territories (French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe). Drug couriers ("mules") transport substances in luggage, on their bodies, or intravenously/intragastrically on flights to Paris airports (particularly Orly).
Car Convoys (Go-Fast)
Cannabis (Moroccan hashish) and synthetic drugs are delivered from Spain to France in car convoys. Usually, two to three fast cars are used: the first goes ahead for reconnaissance and police detection, while the following ones carry the cargo in hidden compartments.
Digitalization of Retail ("Pilon Uber")
Traditional street trading at points (so-called points de deal) in poor suburbs of major cities is gradually giving way to modern technologies:
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Messengers and social networks: The majority of retail orders have moved to Telegram, Snapchat, and Signal. Dealers create channels with menus, prices, product photos, and coverage maps.
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Home delivery by courier: This scheme in France has unofficially been dubbed "Uber Canti" or "Ubershit." The customer places an order in the app, and a courier on a scooter, moped, or car delivers drugs right to the apartment door, disguising themselves as regular food delivery workers.
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Darknet and mail: Synthetic drugs (MDMA, amphetamines) and new psychoactive substances are often ordered on shadow marketplaces and arrive to customers in regular mail packages or small envelopes.
Classic Street Points
Despite digitalization, tightly controlled street sales points remain in major metropolitan areas (Marseille, Paris, Lyon, Lille). Networks have a strict hierarchy: from "wholesalers" and point managers to "managers," packagers, couriers, and "lookouts" (guetteurs - often minors who watch for police presence).
The struggle for control over these high-revenue points (especially in Marseille) regularly leads to fierce armed clashes between gangs.
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