The leader of a major drug gang from the southern French port city of Marseille has been arrested in Morocco, French authorities announced on Saturday, March 9, confirming an initial report by Le Parisien.
"One of Marseille's biggest drug traffickers was arrested in Morocco. Bravo to the police officers who tirelessly continue the fight against drug trafficking," French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He thanked the authorities of Morocco, saying "a big blow" had been dealt to drug trafficking.
Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone told Agence France-Presse that Félix Bingui, 33, had been detained in Casablanca, Morocco's largest port. Bingui is believed to be the leader of Yoda, one of Marseille's main drug gangs.
Marseille, France's second-largest city but also one of its poorest metropoles, has been hit by drug-related violence. The gritty Mediterranean city's northern neighborhoods, notorious for their rundown streets and housing estates, are seen as the hub of the narcotics trade.
The city has in recent years witnessed a turf war for control of the highly profitable drug market between Yoda and another major clan known as DZ Mafia. Last year, 49 people were killed and more than 120 received injuries in drug-related violence between rival gangs in Marseille.