Fifty-two-year-old Simone Sitolence, also known as “Buju,” has been extradited to Martinique to face long-standing narcotics and public-health–related charges. On Monday, November 17, 2025, officers of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force formally handed him over to French officials during a joint operation carried out in full compliance with legal and procedural requirements.
Sitolence was indicted by a French court in 2019 on eight charges, including unauthorized importation, transport, acquisition, detention, and sale of narcotics; participation in a criminal conspiracy; and possession and transport of goods deemed dangerous to public health. He was sentenced in 2022 to seven years’ imprisonment. Although he filed an appeal, his repeated failures to attend hearings led the court in 2024 to rule that he had forfeited his right to appeal.
An international provisional arrest warrant was later issued, and Sitolence was apprehended on October 1, 2025, during a police operation at George Charles Boulevard, Marchand. The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force maintained responsibility for his safety and well-being throughout the extradition process.
The Force says it remains committed to ensuring that individuals wanted in connection with criminal matters are brought before the appropriate judicial authorities.
