After the vast dragnet targeting the “DZ mafia” on Tuesday, a 15-year-old minor will be presented to a judge this Wednesday with a view to being indicted for logistical support, according to our information.
The other 12 arrested remain in police custody.
These thirteen young suspected members of one of the main gangs involved in Marseille drug trafficking were arrested in France as part of an investigation into attempted murder in Spain.
Also read: Gang war: after Yoda, how the DZ mafia found itself in the clutches of the police
The arrests took place in Marseille, as well as in Rennes (one) and in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (one).
The 10 men and three women - presented as companions of alleged gang members - are aged between 15 and 25.
They are “suspected of being involved in an attempted intentional homicide by an organized gang against a French national which occurred on January 24, 2023” in Empuriabrava in Spain, in the north of Catalonia near the French border, and “could be linked to the criminal organization DZ Mafia,” said the Marseille prosecutor’s office.
Their target was a 43-year-old from Marseille, himself known for drug trafficking.
The investigation is being carried out under the authority of the specialized interregional jurisdiction (Jirs) of Marseille, specializing in the fight against serious crime.
Monday's operation was carried out by “more than 80 specialized French investigators, with the support of the Marseille Research and Intervention Brigade and in the presence of Spanish investigators,” said the Marseille prosecutor's office.
2023, the deadliest year in the Marseille city
The operation comes a few days after the arrest in Morocco of Félix Bingui, 33, alleged leader of the Yoda clan, rival of the “DZ mafia”.
Also read: Narcotrafic: the story of the fall of “Cat”, leader of the formidable Yoda clan of Marseille
Bingui was born in Gard but spent his entire “career” in traffic in Marseille.
He regularly traveled back and forth with Morocco until the outbreak of “war” with the rival gang in February 2023, from which point he had no longer left this Maghreb country.
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Yoda clan boss arrested in Morocco
This turf war for control of juicy deal points - representing up to 80,000 euros in daily turnover for some - has bloodied Marseille, particularly last year.
With 49 people killed, including four collateral victims, and 123 injured in violence linked to drug trafficking, 2023 was the deadliest year in the Marseille city.
Some 35 of these “narcomicides” were directly linked to the rivalries between these two clans, Pascal Bonnet, deputy to the judicial police in the south of France, pointed out in January.