Indian truck drivers, Disney D. Joseph and Antony Shaji from Kerala, are in prison in France

Indian truck drivers, Disney D. Joseph and Antony Shaji from Kerala,  are in prison in France after 147 kilograms of cocaine was found in a truck.

Disney D. Joseph and Antony Shaji (Credit: X)

Two men from natives of Kumbalangi,  Ernakulam district, Kerala state have been in a French jail for over a year after French police seized 147 kg of cocaine from a truck. Disney D. Joseph (42) and Antony Shaji, were arrested near Frejus in southern France on June 14, 2024.

They were arrested after officers stopped their vehicle and found drugs hidden inside boxes of dates. The truck, registered to a Slovakian logistics firm, had been loaded and sealed by company employees before leaving. Relatives said the drivers had no idea what was hidden in the cargo. 

Disney D. Joseph's wife, Linsey, said, "Anthony Shaji was arrested on his first trip with the new company. The police acted as if they had received a tip-off. The drivers explained that they were not allowed to open the cargo. But the police opened it and found the drugs."

Shortly after the arrest, the employer, Moroccan national Rachid Benali, reportedly went into hiding. Disney D. Joseph and Anthony Shaji were left by the company to face the case on their own, their families said. 

Their families argue that the case is a miscarriage of justice. 'They are suffering in prison,' says long-term detention has taken a toll. Disney D. Joseph is undergoing psychiatric treatment for stress, while Antony Shaji, who suffers from asthma, was recently admitted to hospital.

"He says he can't sleep and takes a lot of sleeping pills," said Linsey, "He went abroad so we could build our own house. Now we've lost everything."

"Being in prison for a crime he didn't commit is affecting him mentally. He misses his family and his freedom. We are trying our best to bring him back, but nothing has worked so far," said Disney D. Joseph's mother, Susan.

Local Kerala MP Hibi Eden said he has been in regular contact with the Indian embassy in France and the foreign ministry. “We are constantly following up, but the case is complicated by the amount of drugs seized.” Both families are now calling for urgent diplomatic intervention to secure their release, arguing that they are innocent victims of a smuggling ring operating through European cargo routes.