In France, Drug Traffic Spreads to Small Towns NYT | Top Stories By: Richard Fausset 4 January 2025 at 13:01 Even quaint corners of the country are seeing a rise in drug violence and crime. Just ask the mayor of Morlaix, which has a population of about 15,000. © Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York TimesMorlaix, on the Breton coast of France. The trade in illicit drugs has brought a measure of insecurity to places that had once felt sleepy and safe.