Stéphane Plaza, arrested in a trafficking investigation, must pay a citizen contribution for drug use

Stéphane Plaza, the star real estate agent on M6, who was released from police custody on the evening of Tuesday, May 6, must pay a citizen's contribution of 3,000 euros for drug use, the Bobigny prosecutor's office announced on Wednesday.

The citizen contribution is a mechanism by which the prosecutor asks the perpetrator to pay money to a victim support association, up to a maximum of €3,000, as an alternative to prosecution. The host's phone was also confiscated.

Stéphane Plaza, 54, was arrested Monday evening as part of a drug trafficking investigation conducted by the Seine-Saint-Denis judicial police. Two other people were taken into custody at the same time as him in this case. One must also pay a citizen's contribution for drug use, and the second will be tried immediately for drug trafficking, the Bobigny prosecutor's office said.

Investigators wanted to hear the presenter as a drug user, because, "when there is this type of investigation, we can cast a wide net," ^Carlo Alberto Brusa, one of his lawyers, told Agence France-Presse. Commenting on this consumption, ^Brusa stressed that Stéphane Plaza had recently experienced "hellish years" , with media coverage "totally biased" against his accusation of domestic violence .

The presenter was sentenced on February 18 to a one-year suspended prison sentence for repeated violence against a former partner, which tarnished his image and brand. The real estate agent is contesting this court decision, and an appeal hearing will take place.

Stéphane Plaza became a star when M6 launched him in 2006 to host the show "Looking for an Apartment or House," followed by "House for Sale" (2007) and "Appart Hunters" (2015). The channel canceled his shows after the February ruling.

Furthermore, real estate agencies in the Stéphane Plaza France franchise network can choose to change their name to a new brand that the company plans to launch, without removing the one that bears the name of the convicted star.