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Police Seize 864 Nitrous Oxide Cartridges in Limoges Storage Unit, Intensifying French Crackdown

The discovery underscores a fast-growing trade that officials seek to curb through a narcotics-style classification.

Overview

  • Officers in Limoges uncovered 864 cartridges and about 1,700 balloons in a Homebox rental unit after a sniffer dog alerted during a narcotics search.
  • The haul follows a series of operations, including a mid‑December Bondy record near 3,500 bottles and new arrests in Épinay‑sur‑Seine with 188 bottles and 90 balloons.
  • Ofast has warned the nitrous oxide market is expanding rapidly, identifying it as a public health and safety concern beyond its medical and culinary uses.
  • Prefects in the Marne and Bouches‑du‑Rhône have issued holiday-period orders banning sales and recreational use to facilitate police interventions.
  • Fresh road‑safety evidence from 40 Millions d’automobilistes shows significant reaction‑time impairment after inhalation, echoing recent fatal crashes linked to the gas.