A shocking case of the French underworld emerged recently after a court heard a case of two teenage boys being recruited by a drug gang and brutally assaulted for reported “shortfalls” in earnings.
DZ Mafia, which emerged from a bloody turf war, is Marseille’s most powerful gang and one of the most feared criminal organisations, a BBC investigation revealed. Several parts of Marseille are reportedly controlled by drug gangs, with police, lawyers and politicians describing an atmosphere of fear in these areas. The report further stated that the country’s expanding illegal drugs’ market has seen a surge in cocaine imports alongside high volumes of cannabis and synthetic drugs, which has helped the gang grow rapidly. Many of those distributing drugs are children and teenagers, who are not only recruited to sell drugs, but also to carry out kidnap, torture and murder. These gangs have used social media to recruit young hitmen with promises of easy money, trapping them in a world of brutality and exploitation. However, police and lawyers have warned that it is very hard for children to leave the underworld once they get in. the use of social media in recruiting youngsters has frustrated the government’s fight against drug crime While police have had successes in Marseille and drug gangs in other cities.
Last year, more than 10,000 children were involved in drug trafficking in some way, according to official figures cited by the BBC. Dimitri Zoulas, the head of France’s anti-drug trafficking unit, said increasing drug crime has led to more road accidents, family violence, depressions, suicides and more than 700 overdoses each year.
The case came to the spotlight after a woman informed the police about receiving illegal drugs and a note by a young peddler alleging that he and his companion were being held captive and needed help, according to a BBC report. The court was reportedly told that the boys were regularly beaten and forced to dance naked in front of a camera, while one of them was raped. Camil also said the gangs exploit any weakness they find in a recruit, adding, “You’re their b***h, it’s over.
