Overview

• Customs intelligence officers (DNRED) discovered an activated grenade on October 9 in an armory at Plan-de-Cuques, prompting searches of the shop and the late owner’s home.
• Investigators seized nearly 300 undeclared Category A and B firearms, including revolvers, large hunting rifles, a .50 BMG rifle, grenades, 51mm practice shells, and precursors for ammunition.
• All weapons and hazardous materials were confiscated, and Marseille prosecutors opened a judicial investigation for unauthorized acquisition and possession of regulated arms.
• The Section de Recherches in Marseille and the Division de la criminalité territoriale were assigned to lead inquiries, and the armory’s legal representative was placed in customs retention.
• Background checks had already flagged administrative anomalies after armorer Georges Moraldo’s death in 2024, and an April 18, 2025 burglary heightened diversion risks, with no confirmed link to organized crime at this stage.