World · Europe · 11 hrs ago
Marseille drug gangs recruit and exploit vulnerable children
In Marseille, drug gangs are drawing vulnerable young people into illegal work with promises of easy money.
Two 15-year-old boys who sought paid work were held by a gang and accused of causing money shortfalls.
They were beaten and abused; one was raped, and one was caught and stabbed after they tried to escape.
Six men were sentenced over what happened to the boys.
The case points to wider gang control in parts of France’s second-largest city, where children also distribute drugs.
The powerful DZ Mafia grew after a bloody turf war and uses social media to promote itself and recruit people for violence.
France’s expanding drug market, including rising cocaine imports, is helping gangs grow, while authorities say the trade involves 200,000 people and generates €7bn a year.
Drug gangs in Marseille recruit vulnerable young people with promises of paid work, then subject some to violence and exploitation.
Two 15-year-old boys were held by a gang after approaching it for illegal work, a French court heard.
One boy escaped after the pair tried to flee; the other was caught, beaten and stabbed, but survived.
Six men have since received hefty sentences over the abuse of the two teenagers.
The DZ Mafia gang rose to prominence in 2023 and became one of France’s most feared criminal organisations.
- Who
- Marseille drug gangs, including the DZ Mafia, and vulnerable young people they recruit.
- What
- Gangs lure young people into drug dealing and exploitation; two teenagers were held and abused by a gang.
- When
- The two boys’ case began in 2022. Six men have since been sentenced.
- Where
- Marseille, France, including the Frais-Vallon housing estate.
- Why
- The gangs recruit young people with promises of paid work and easy money.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A woman buying hashish on the Frais-Vallon estate received a note from a teenage dealer asking for help.
The two teenagers tried to escape through a second-storey window; one got away, while the other was caught, beaten and stabbed.
The DZ Mafia rose to prominence, using video statements and social media to market itself.
Six men were handed sentences over what happened to the two teenagers.
DZ Mafia issued an online statement denying involvement after a nearby town’s mayor was placed under police protection.
- Victims
- Two boys aged 15
- Estate
- Frais-Vallon, Marseille
- Sentences
- Six men
- Gang
- DZ Mafia
- Gang’s rise to prominence
- 2023
- French cocaine users
- Expected soon to reach two million, up from 600,000 in 2017
What people are saying
We're being held captive and need help. We are 15-years-old
cold-bloodedness