Thirteen suspected members of the DZ Mafia, one of the main gangs involved in Marseille drug trafficking, were arrested on Monday in Marseille and Rennes as part of an investigation into attempted murder in Spain, a report said on Tuesday March 12. source close to the file at Agence France-Presse (AFP).
These arrests were carried out by the Central Office for the Fight against Organized Crime (OCLCO) of the judicial police, said this source, confirming information from France Inter.
The suspects, aged 15 to 25, are suspected of attempted homicide in January 2023 on a 43-year-old from Marseillais, himself known for settling scores and drug trafficking, according to France Inter.
These arrests come a few days after the arrest in Morocco of the alleged leader of the Yoda clan, rival of the DZ Mafia.
A turf war for control of juicy deal points – up to 80,000 euros in daily turnover for some – between the Yoda clan and the DZ Mafia 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 Marseille.
Some 35 of these “narchomicides” were directly linked to rivalries between these two clans, Pascal Bonnet, deputy to the judicial police in the south of France, pointed out in January.