The city of Marseille, in southern France, is reeling from a horrifying murder that claimed the life of a 15-year-old boy, who was “stabbed 50 times” and then burned alive. Prosecutors confirmed on Sunday that this brutal act is part of a larger web of drug-fueled violence engulfing Marseille.
Marseille, France’s second-largest city and one of its poorest, has become notorious for its ongoing turf war between rival drug gangs. Groups like DZ Mafia and Yoda are locked in a battle to control the lucrative drug trade, resulting in numerous casualties. The city’s prosecutor, Nicolas Bessone, highlighted that both victims and perpetrators in these violent incidents are becoming disturbingly younger.
Bessone described the murder of the 15-year-old as an act of “unprecedented savagery.” The young boy was recruited via social media by a 23-year-old prisoner, a member of the DZ Mafia, who promised him €2,000 to intimidate a rival by setting fire to his door. However, the plan took a deadly turn when members of a competing gang caught the teenager and found him carrying a firearm.
In a gruesome act of punishment, the rival gang members stabbed the boy 50 times and then transported him to the Fonscolombes housing estate. “According to the autopsy, he was burned alive,” Bessone revealed at the press conference. The boy’s 15-year-old friend, who had been with him during the ordeal, managed to escape.
Football Player Shot By 14-Year-Old
Just two days later, another tragedy struck the city when 36-year-old football player Nessim Ramdane was shot and killed. In a chilling twist, his murderer was a 14-year-old boy, also hired through social media by the same prisoner who orchestrated the first murder. The teen was promised €50,000 to carry out a revenge attack on a rival gang member. Ramdane, who worked as a chauffeur to support his family, was shot “in the back of the head” by the 14-year-old when he didn’t follow orders to drop off the boy and his accomplice.
Drug Gangs Recruit Minors
The recent killings bring the number of drug-related deaths in Marseille to 17 this year alone. The city’s drug lords are increasingly targeting minors, using social media to recruit them as “foot soldiers” for street-level drug deals and, in some cases, murder. Bessone pointed out that these young recruits kill “without any remorse or reflection.”
