After a high-profile murder in Marseille, presumably on behalf of drug lords, investigators have arrested ten suspects in southern France.
March 24, 2026, 05:43March 24, 2026, 05:43
They are said to have supported the command that shot the brother of a well-known critic of drug crime in Marseille four months ago, the newspaper “Le Parisien” reported. The newly founded public prosecutor’s office for organized crime confirmed to the broadcaster RTL that those arrested were being investigated for gang-related murder and membership in a criminal organization.
Marseille is a center of drug crime in France.Image: www.imago-images.de
Those arrested are attributed to the powerful drug gang DZ Mafia, whose imprisoned boss could be behind the contract killing, according to research by “Parisien”. Those arrested were eight men and two women in their early twenties, France Info reported.
Interior Minister speaks of an act of intimidation
After the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Mehdi Kessaci, France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez spoke of an “act of intimidation”, far from a classic reckoning that happens dozens of times every year in the drug stronghold of Marseille. President Emmanuel Macron organized an emergency meeting to combat drug-related crime. Thousands demonstrated in Marseille against drug violence after the murder.
Amine Kessaci, the 22-year-old brother of the man who was shot, is the founder of the Conscience association, which supports families affected by drug-related crime and its consequences. This makes him a thorn in the side of drug gangs.
Justice targets powerful DZ Mafia
Just two weeks ago, the Marseille public prosecutor’s office had 42 people arrested in the fight against the DZ Mafia. The trial against three alleged leaders of the drug gang, who are said to be responsible for a settlement involving two deaths in 2019, also began on Monday in Aix-en-Provence, southern France, under extreme security precautions.
After the murder of his brother, Amine Kessaci called on the government to take action in a nationally published appeal. “Faced with such an enemy, the state must assess the situation and understand that a battle to the death has begun. It is time to act (…),” wrote Kessaci in the leading French newspaper “Le Monde.” “We count our dead, but what is the state doing?” (sda/dpa)