A sad record was reached in 2023 in the Marseille city. 49 people were victims of the war waged by drug traffickers for control of the territory. Report in the northern districts of Marseille.
“It was a night of horror”, remembers Laetitia Linon, sitting in front of her nephew’s grave in the Saint-Pierre cemetery where she goes every Sunday. One summer night, Rayanne, targeted by a gang, is shot dead by 5 Kalashnikov bullets. He was 14 years old and had gone to buy a bottle of fruit juice.
“Today a little person from Marseille can die like in a country of cartels”deplores his aunt, member of the collective of families of assassination victims.
Drugs are now part of daily landscape north of Marseille. “The first thing you see when you leave school is the network. We lost the war on drugs“explains Amine Kessaci.
Victim of a settling of scores, his brother was found burned in the trunk of a car in 2020. Since then, the number of deaths linked to drug trafficking has exploded.
Drugs bring in 3 billion euros per year
49 people died and more than a hundred injured in shootings linked to drug trafficking. “It has become commonplace in Marseille”says Mohamed Benmeddour, a social worker.
At the origin of the bloody conflict, a war between two clans – DZ Mafia and Yoda – for control of very lucrative deal points. In France, drugs bring in 3 billion euros each year. A deal point can generate between €25 and €90,000 per day.
“This money kills”warns district AttorneyNicolas Bessone.
And the State seems powerless in the face of the scale of the scourge which has plagued the city since the 1970s. “People want to work. And the only work here is drug trafficking”confirms educator Mohamed Benmeddour.
“We gave small networks time to grow”adds law student Amine Kessaci. According to him, the isolation of these territories has made the situation worse, and the inhabitants are paying the price.
One evening on her way home from work, Magali Loget attends an event that she will not soon forget. “I saw a car drive into a bus shelter. The person driving had a bullet in the head”. She no longer feels safe in the Marseille city.
Members of the network monitor the comings and goings of visitors in the cities. During a visit to his old neighborhood, Steve Vidal is checked by a watchman at the entrance. To pass, he is obliged to leave him an identity document.
Fight against trafficking
At Les Marronniers, one of the hotspots for Marseille traffic, a mattress and a trash can block the entrance to the city. The objective? Slow down law enforcement cars or rival gang vehicles. “It prevents them from shooting directly”explains Mohamed Benmeddour.
Inside the neighborhood, drug prices are displayed, “like on a restaurant menu”comments the educator.
To fight against the roots of evilthe public prosecutor intends to track down the heads of networks, sometimes established abroad. “The Minister of Justice is creating liaison magistrate positions in Dubai, where drug lords take refuge”he says.
Efforts that are starting to bear fruit.
In 2023, French authorities seized 7 tonnes of cannabis, 21 million euros in criminal assets and 107 assault rifles in the Marseille region. Every day, 5 to 10 drug sales points are dismantled in France’s second city, according to Eddy Sid, police union representative in Marseille.
In front of the Flamants social center, a district of the 14th arrondissement, on this wintery Saturday, the chair occupied by the lookouts is empty. Authorization had to be given by those who control the neighborhood for an association founded by a veteran of the Raid can intervene.
Accompanied by around ten police officers, Bruno Pomart goes to the red light districts of France. Boxing, football, climbing, etc., it offers sporting activities to recreate a bond of trust between the police and the population. “It serves to reclaim territories and show that they are not abandoned”he explains.
But the wounds left by the drug war may never heal. “I will never accept Rayanne’s death”declares Laetitia Linon. “He had his whole life ahead of him and I will never forgive those who did this to us”.