Europe 1 with AFP 18:31 p.m., December 21, 2023
Of the 47 people killed in 2023 in Marseille, victims of the war between drug traffickers for control of points of sale in the city's housing estates, seven were minors, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said on Thursday.The prosecutor of the Phocaean city Nicolas Bessone notes "a strong rejuvenation" of the victims as well as the people arrested in these "narchomhomicides" that bloodied the second city of France. He pointed out on Thursday that 18 minors were also injured in this war between drug traffickers.
"We are seeing a very strong rejuvenation of the suspects, (young people) who are not necessarily very rooted in crime" at the time of committing the act, the magistrate added, stressing that two of the alleged killers arrested in the first half of the year were aged 18 and 19, "with no history in relation to the seriousness of the facts for which they were accused".
11% of minors indicted
Of all those indicted in 2023 for intentional homicide or attempted intentional homicide, 11% were minors (six in total) and 51% were aged between 18 and 21, the prosecutor said.
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During his press conference at the Marseille judicial court, Nicolas Bessone also noted a growing role of women in this phenomenon of narco-banditry, with four women indicted for criminal association with a view to the preparation of a crime.
"They are no longer confined to the role of nannies, for example (editor's note: the people in charge of storing drugs) and have a more active role in the management of deal points or even in the sponsorship or organization of assassinations," the magistrate insisted: "And some of them are even able to replace their companions when they are prevented."