A 15-year-old boy in Marseille, France, was stabbed dozens of times and burned alive this week in what officials said was a drug-related killing.
The teen, whose identity was not publicly disclosed by officials, was allegedly killed as part of an ongoing turf war between rival gangs DZ Mafia and the Blacks. The gangs are currently fighting for control over drug trafficking in Marseille.
Prosecutors said the 15-year-old had been hired by an imprisoned DZ Mafia member for roughly €2,000 (USD$2,192) to intimidate and set fire to the door of a competitor. However, the teenager was spotted by members of the rival gang Blacks. He was then stabbed 50 times and set on fire, per BBC News, citing prosecutors.
Officials noted that the teen was accompanied by another 15-year-old who managed to escape the Blacks.
Rival Gangs Involved in Teen's Death, Other Crimes
Two days following the stabbing and the burning of the teen, the same imprisoned DZ Mafia member hired a 14-year-old through social media to exact revenge. That teen was promised €50,000 (USD$55,000).
The minor later hired 36-year-old football player Nessim Ramdane, who was moonlighting as a chauffeur, to drive him to the site. The boy asked Ramdane to wait while he carried out his mission but the 36-year-old refused. The minor shot Ramdane in the back of the head using a 357 Magnum revolver, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said in a news conference, as reported by France24.
The 14-year-old, whose identity was also not publicly disclosed, was taken into custody where he claimed that the gun had "gone off accidentally."
Drug War in Marseille
The spate of murders accounts for only two of the 17 people who were killed this year amid the ongoing drug war in Marseille. This followed 49 deaths caused by drug-related violence recorded in 2023, an all-time high.
As part of the effort to resolve drug violence, French police have staged a major operation to seize drug money and weapons in Marseille. In March, officials made more than 600 arrests and recovered 450kg of cannabis and 19 weapons.
Furthermore, French President Emmanuel Macron also pledged to stamp out drug-related violence this year.
