A French radical left lawmaker admitted, on Tuesday, October 22, to having been caught by police after purchasing a synthetic drug from an underage supplier in a street deal, earning him a sharp rebuke from France's law-and-order interior minister.
Andy Kerbrat, 34, a La France Insoumise (LFI, radical left) party MP was picked up by police, on October 17, carrying 1.35 grams of 3-Methylmethcathinone, prosecutors told Agence France-Presse (AFP). 3-MMC is a designer drug intended to mimic the effects of cocaine at about half the street price. The popularity of 3-MMC is growing fast in France, where it is mostly used as a party drug.
The teenage dealer had one gram of the synthetic drug on him, as well as €200 ($216) in cash, they added.
Kerbrat, who was not detained, is being investigated for illicit narcotics use. Posting his admission on X, Kerbrat said he would seek medical attention for his addiction.
LFI's parliamentary leader Mathilde Panot said that "addiction is a health issue," adding she hoped Kerbrat could quickly return to position at the Assemblée Nationale post.
Greens party MP Sandrine Rousseau was also supportive, saying: "You admitted everything. You are getting treatment. Come back to us in good shape."
However, hardline Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, known for his law-and-order credentials, said Kerbrat needed to "draw the consequences of his actions." Also on X, Retailleau said MPs had "a duty" to show "exemplary" behaviour. "It is intolerable to see a deputy of the French republic buy synthetic drugs from a street dealer," the minister said.