Jol Soudron Arrested in Panama for Drug Trafficking

Jol Soudron, a fugitive and one of France's most notorious drug traffickers, was arrested in Panama on March 29, 2026, after more than five years on the run. Originally from Guadeloupe, Soudron was found using a real French passport under a false identity and held a temporary residence permit with fabricated information. He had escaped custody in 2018 during a temporary prison leave from Rau prison, where he was serving a sentence for organizing a 2002 cocaine trafficking operation from French Guiana to Paris.

Soudron's criminal operations were extensive, including involvement in the 2011 seizure of over 500 kilograms of cocaine in France, hidden in shipping containers sent from the Caribbean. Authorities traced as many as 30 cocaine shipments to him. By the end of 2021, French investigators acknowledged his skill in eluding capture and issued a Europol alert. He had used several aliases and built an intricate web of offshore companies in tax havens like Switzerland and the British Virgin Islands, where he was linked to valuable assets, including property under investigation in Antigua and Barbuda, where two bodies were found in a villa he reportedly owned. A trial for his criminal cases in France is expected.

The Panamanian police stated, "During the identity check, it was found that the individual was in possession of a temporary residence permit with false information. After further investigation, it was confirmed that he was Jol Soudron."

Soudron is wanted in connection with two criminal cases in France. In the first, he ... "organizer of a cocaine trafficking ... -a-Pitre and Orly in ... ." That year, a female passenger ... .

In 2011, he ... .