French police went looking for drugs, they found a Picasso instead

CRÉTEIL, June 21 — A police raid looking for drugs at a house in a Paris suburb turned up a painting by Pablo Picasso, prosecutors said yesterday.

“This discovery was made during a search carried out as part of an investigation into drug trafficking,” said the public prosecutor’s office of Creteil, south-east of Paris.

They had opened an investigation into theft and dealing in stolen goods, the statement added.

On Friday, four people were brought before a court for an immediate hearing in connection with the case, the office said.

According to newspaper Le Parisien, which first reported the story, the search was carried out on Monday by investigators in Champigny-sur-Marne, a town east of Paris.

As well as the Picasso, the police seized cannabis resin, luxury clothing and several thousand euros in cash, the newspaper said.

The Creteil prosecutors office said the painting had been authenticated as a work by the Spanish painter, but did not specify which painting it was. — AFP