Police arrested a man in Bagnols-sur-Ceze after intervention at a suspected drug dealing point in the Escanaux district. The accused, a man living in Melun, was stopped by officers at the exit of a cellar in the night of 24 September. He was found with a few grams of cannabis, while police also seized a nearby bag containing cannabis and cocaine. The man told the court he had been pressured to “work for them” after arriving in the area for reasons linked to a woman. He said he slept in a cellar and feared reprisals, claiming he was not the owner of the seized bag and that he tried to leave but was assaulted and threatened. When officers arrived, he said everyone had already gone. At trial in the correctional court in Nimes on 13 November, the defence raised concerns about prison conditions. The lawyer criticised detention in a crowded prison in Nimes, describing high overcrowding and conditions such as living in an overcrowded cell. The prosecutor requested an 18-month prison sentence, including a ban from staying in the Gard. The court sentenced the man to 18 months in prison, with 6 months suspended on probation, and did not issue a detention order at that stage. He is due to appear before the judge for application of sentences. He has been held since about two months at the Nimes remand centre, where the defence says overcrowding exceeds 243%.