Flavien Moreau said he even tried Nicorette, but it didn't work.

A French militant who was recently sent to to prison for his involvement with the Islamic State said he left the terrorist organization because he couldn’t handle its strict ban on smoking cigarettes.

“I really struggled with not smoking,” 27-year-old Flavien Moreau testified before a Paris court, according to France 24.


“It was forbidden by the katiba [a group of Islamist militants]. I had brought Nicorette gum with me, but it wasn’t enough. So, I left my gun with my emir and I left,” he said.

Moreau was given the maximum sentence for his crimes, seven years.

The Muslim convert became radicalized in France and traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State in 2012. He had had 13 previous convictions, including armed robbery and assault.


Unable to quit smoking, he left the terrorist group after a mere two weeks. He was arrested in France in January 2013.