A 15-year-old boy was brutally murdered this week in Marseille, France, in what appears to be a case of drug-related violence, according to prosecutors.
Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone informed reporters that the teenager was stabbed multiple times and burned alive on Wednesday. He described the incident as an act of 'unprecedented savagery.' Marseille, France's second-largest city and one of its poorest, is no stranger to drug-related violence.
Bessone noted that both victims and perpetrators of such crimes are becoming increasingly younger. The city has seen a turf war for control of the lucrative drug market, involving various gangs, including the DZ Mafia.
The teenager had been hired by a 23-year-old prisoner to intimidate a competitor by setting fire to his door, with a promise of 2,000 euros. However, he was spotted by members of a rival gang, who stabbed him repeatedly and then set him on fire.
In a separate incident, the same prisoner recruited a 14-year-old minor to carry out a revenge attack against a member of the Blacks gang, offering him 50,000 euros. The minor then hired a 36-year-old driver, who ended up being killed.
These latest cases bring the total number of drug-related killings in Marseille to 17 since the beginning of the year. In comparison, 49 people were killed in drug-related violence in Marseille in 2023.
