Thirteen individuals suspected of being affiliated with “DZ Mafia,” a large Marseille drug trafficking ring, were arrested on Tuesday in the French cities of Marseille and Rennes. The arrests were part of an investigation of an attempted murder in Spain, reported French local media and confirmed in a tweet by France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
France’s judicial police’s Central Office for the Fight against Organized Crime (OCLCO) arrested ten men and three women, referred to as “associates” of the ring, ranging in age from 15 to 25.
The individuals now in custody are accused of participating in a January 2023 attempted murder in Catalonia of a 43-year-old Marseille resident who was known for drug trafficking.
The 13 arrests come following the recent apprehension in Morocco of the boss of the rival Yoda clan.
Minister Darmanin acknowledged the efforts of the French police. “Congratulations to the officers for this new crackdown on Marseille’s narco-banditism,” he said. “After the arrest in Morocco of a criminal group leader this weekend, 13 new arrests have taken place.”
The individual arrested in Morocco is Félix Bingui, a French national aged 34, known as the “Cat.” A significant figure in narcoterrorism, he is now facing a laundry list of charges including drug importation, transportation, possession, acquisition, sale, money laundering, unexplained wealth, murder, death threats and others, according to a Marseille judge’s warrant for his arrest.
Casablanca National Police detained Bingui on Friday, and he appeared before the prosecutor’s office in Casablanca on Saturday as part of initiating extradition procedures to France.
Darmanin also praised Moroccan authorities for their efforts in tracking down the drug lord. “One of the biggest Marseille drug traffickers was arrested in Morocco,” he asserted. “Congratulations to the police who relentlessly pursue the fight against drug trafficking.”
Last year, the city of Marseille experienced violent turf wars between the Yoda gang and the DZ Mafia over control of several narcotics trafficking sectors, leading to a significant rise in drug trafficking violence, including 49 deaths, four ‘collateral damage’ victims, and 123 injuries.