Par
Anthony Soudani
Published on Oct 17, 2025 at 6:14 a.m.
EXCLUSIVE. Increase in violence, drug trafficking, means of justice… The public prosecutor from Lyon, Thierry Dran, speaks for the first time on news Lyon in a long exclusive interview. The magistrate looks back on his first eighteen months at the head of the prosecution, between the major restructurings carried out internally and his war against drug trafficking.
Thierry Dran also returns to the “feeling of insecurity”, the increasing number of necklace snatchings and “the explosion of anti-Semitism” in the metropolis.
“We aim to reduce delays”
Actu : You took office in February 2024. After 18 months, what assessment do you draw?
Thierry Dran : Honestly, taking stock in 18 months in a large jurisdiction is tricky: decisions, whether organizational or penal policy, take time to produce their effects. However, we have launched fundamental projects. The most important: the reorganization of the flooring. We have refocused certain skills – notably organized crime – in a division with rapid circuits, to avoid each case systematically going before an investigating judge. We have also restructured the family, minors and domestic violence (VIF) services, in order to group skills and gain consistency.
At the same time, we aim to reduce delays. It is an effort by the entire jurisdiction, with the court, to streamline processing. But we can judge in 48 hours or in two years, depending on the procedural channels. On files with detainees, things go quickly; on “free” files, it is often longer.
Finally, a remarkable case: we managed the Adecco trial, a case with 76,000 victims, in collaboration with Paris, exploiting an electronic delivery system to avoid thousands of printings and mailings. This saved us time and money.
“The facts show an increase in attacks on people in Lyon”
What changes in your practice compared to your predecessors?
T.D. : Style doesn’t matter; what matters are the strategic choices. With the reorganization, we refocused the action towards the core business and put the files in rapid flow. Concerning organized crime, we are now seeing more referrals to the Lyon judicial police, more responsiveness in this area. For the rest of Lyon’s delinquency, we try to adapt penal policy to the local context: for example, assaults or violent thefts (torn necklaces, bags, etc.) are now often placed under the immediate appearance regime.
The discourse on insecurity is often used politically. We frequently hear that justice is too lax. Jean-Michel Aulas says for example that “we are no longer safe in the streets of Lyon”, that “insecurity is serious”. How do you respond to criticism?
T.D. : “Insecurity” is a feeling. I rely on the facts. And the facts show an increase in attacks on people in Lyon. When this happens, we adjust penal policy. Orientation competence falls to the national, regional and local level – here I can play on local adaptation. There are three priorities today: attacks against people, attacks against security forces, and attacks against prison guards. On these subjects, there is zero tolerance.
As for the criticism of “laxity” of justice, I have heard it for 33 years. But in reality, we have never put so many people in prison, nor sentences this long. Prison overcrowding is at 186%. Prison is not the answer to everything, but it is used when gravity demands it. Every year, we process 170,000 procedures: we do not put 170,000 people behind bars, that has never been possible. We need penalties adapted to each case.
Thierry Dran, public prosecutor of Lyon, answers questions about Lyon news. (©Nicolas Zaugra / news Lyon)
Is this talk about insecurity or the weakness of justice dangerous in your opinion?
T.D. : I don’t have a political opinion, especially in the pre-election period. I stand by the facts: delinquency is increasing, including around organized crime.
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Need for reinforcements to better deliver justice in Lyon
Concretely, do you need more resources to deal with this pressure?
T.D. : Yes, clearly. But we must recognize the efforts made. In recent years, several Ministers of Justice have strengthened human resources. At the Lyon public prosecutor’s office, we have gained around four magistrates in five years. It’s not enough, but it’s notable.
Another important step forward: the creation of teams around magistrates. Until a few years ago, it practically didn’t exist. Today, we have 25 people to assist us, with different statuses. It’s a real help, a real development.
But Lyon remains under-resourced. It is the third court in France in terms of activity… but not in terms of staff. Other courts of comparable size have more magistrates, more clerks, for smaller disputes. And this for historical reasons that escape us.
What is the target deadline?
T.D. : To date, the objective would be to reach 50 prosecutors by 2029 (compared to 42 today, editor’s note). That would be a good threshold. There is hope, but the promises still need to be kept.
Faced with deal points, “the fight continues”
You declared, during your solemn audience, that you were waging “war” on drug trafficking. Where are we today in Lyon and in the metropolis?
T.D. : We are not in a blitzkrieg: it is not something that we win in a few days, nor in a few weeks, nor even in a few months. It is a long-term struggle, with victories and setbacks. However, we have made progress: arrests of network leaders – including individuals located abroad -, indictments and investigations carried out by the specialized interregional jurisdiction. This work has produced results in Lyon, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, etc.
Tonkin, Vénissieux, La Duchère… What are the priority deal points today in the urban area?
T.D. : We hold regular meetings with the internal security forces to target the most problematic sectors and maintain pressure: Vénissieux, la Duchère, la Guillotière are among the sensitive areas, but the map is changing quickly. We must not declare victory too early if a deal point is temporarily reduced: the dynamic can start again. The struggle is continuous.
Police patrols have been reinforced in Tonkin, a sensitive district of Villeurbanne, near Lyon. (©Anthony Soudani / news Lyon)
Concerning cocaine, can we speak of a “white tsunami” in Lyon?
T.D. : I stand by the facts: there is a national and local increase in trafficking and seizures. But using spectacular images does not help the analysis. Yes, the volume has increased, and Lyon is a place of passage: a significant part of the seizures pass through our territory without necessarily staying there. The main thing for us is to target the upper chains of trafficking, not just the mules.
The prosecutor responds to Jean-Michel Aulas on the creation of a police force on the scale of the Metropolis
Can the mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet, or other elected officials in the metropolis take more action on security?
T.D. : I am not going to judge the action of the elected officials; I’m the prosecutor, not the mayor. But I see that we work well with all town halls, whatever their political orientation. Municipal police or municipal structures such as Villeurbanne, Bron or Givors work well in collaboration with the national police. In Lyon, cooperation exists, but it could always be more fluid, obviously.
Jean-Michel Aulas evokes the idea of creating a police force on the scale of the metropolis. What do you think?
T.D. : Why not, but I don’t have a strong opinion. It also depends on human and financial resources. But it’s a big investment.
Thierry Dran, public prosecutor of Lyon, answers questions about Lyon news. (©Nicolas Zaugra / news Lyon)
Anti-Semitism and violent thefts “explode”
Are anti-Semitism and violence linked to religious opinions on the rise?
T.D. : Yes. Anti-Semitism is exploding, and there has been a sharp increase in racial insults. Our judicial statistics do not always distinguish facts according to their nature (anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, etc.). But zero tolerance is applied. To find the authors, certain acts (anonymous tags) are more difficult to elucidate than others (messages on networks). We intervene systematically, and this is a criminal policy priority.
We are seeing an increase in attacks, particularly collar pulling on the Presqu’île and elsewhere. Is this a priority?
T.D. : Yes, it is a priority. In Lyon, these facts are exploding, particularly on the Presqu’île, a very busy and festive district, but also in the 6th arrondissement. Unshoeing is systematic, minor as well as major.
How can we concretely combat this phenomenon?
T.D. : The police presence has been reinforced, with officers in uniform but also in plain clothes. And many are arrested, even if some are only arrested later, via their DNA or testimonies. The increase in the price of gold makes these flights more profitable. There are resale networks, which we are trying to dismantle.
Violent thefts mainly committed by foreigners? The prosecutor responds
One last question. The Rhône prefect says that 60% of violent thefts are committed by foreigners. Are the latter now in the majority in the Lyon trials?
T.D. : I don’t know. We do not have this data. The Ministry of the Interior has arrest statistics, but not the justice system. I can say that in public comments, some claim that 60% of violent thefts are committed by foreigners, but I can therefore neither confirm nor deny, due to lack of legal grounds.
Is this nevertheless a reality on the ground?
T.D. : Yes, in matters such as violent thefts and necklace snatching, they are probably mainly people of foreign origin, that is quite undeniable, but I cannot say this statistically.
Comments collected by Nicolas Zaugra and Anthony Soudani
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