Marseille Struggles with Brutal Drug War and Younger Killers

paris - Marseille faces a growing drug war with increasingly younger criminals, highlighting issues with prisons and law enforcement.

Marseille has been a hotspot for drug trafficking in France for years, with gangs fighting to the death to expand their market share. Despite government efforts to combat drug trafficking, gang violence in Marseille is escalating, with younger and younger killers involved.

Senator Jérôme Durain, chair of a parliamentary inquiry into drug trafficking, expressed his shock at recent events in Marseille, where two deaths occurred within three days. This comes shortly after Durain's report on the impact of drug trafficking in France.

Senator Etienne Blanc, who worked closely with Durain, highlighted how experienced drug dealers are recruiting minors for dangerous tasks, taking advantage of their age and the ease with which they can be manipulated.

Yann Sourisseau, head of the Central Bureau for Combating Organized Crime, emphasized that these young criminals are solely motivated by profit, receiving large sums for their criminal activities.

Nicolas Bessone, the public prosecutor of Marseille, acknowledged the growing corruption within prisons, where drugs and mobile phones are smuggled in easily.

The situation calls for the use of advanced equipment like signal jammers in prisons. Despite efforts to disrupt communication, technology limitations persist, allowing some offenders to continue their criminal activities from behind bars.

The Public Prosecutor's Office is now advocating for stricter prison regimes to prevent communication with the outside world and considering high-security wings for certain offenders.

Authorities are exploring measures to establish highly secure prisons, similar to those seen in the United States and Italy, to effectively combat drug trafficking in Marseille.