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Warning: This article contains disturbing details.
Teen's charred body found on Marseille beach sparks outrage
Fifteen-year-old Adel's remains were discovered by schoolchildren on their morning commute, his corpse burned in a macabre display linked to the city's escalating drug wars. The killing, captured on video and shared online, marks the latest in a surge of brutal murders involving increasingly younger victims and perpetrators.
Gangs recruit children, erode 'codes of violence'
A former gang member, known only as The Immortal, described a city where rules no longer exist. "I've been in this since I was 15, but everything has changed," he said, lifting his shirt to reveal four bullet scars. "The bosses use youngsters, pay them peanuts, and they kill for no reason. It's anarchy."
France's Ministry of Justice reports a fourfold increase in teenagers involved in drug trafficking over the past eight years. Community workers say children as young as 13 are coerced into roles as lookouts or dealers, desensitized to violence after witnessing daily killings.
"The rule of law is subordinate to the gangs. Until we have a strong state again, we must take precautions."
Anonymous local lawyer
Murder of trainee policeman fuels collective panic
The killing of 20-year-old Mehdi Kessaci-a trainee officer with no gang ties-last month ignited what locals call psychose, a state of collective trauma. His brother, anti-gang activist Amine Kessaci, believes the attack was a warning. "My little brother was an innocent victim," he said. "There was a time when thugs had a moral code. Now, they burn bodies in broad daylight."
Kessaci, now under police protection, spoke of his guilt: "Should I have made my family leave? This fight against guilt will define my life."
Police 'bombardments' target drug networks
French authorities have launched aggressive raids, dubbed "security bombardments," in Marseille's high-crime neighborhoods. During a recent operation, riot police stormed a dilapidated housing block, arresting an 18-year-old forced into gang work. "He begged to be arrested," an officer said. "He was held against his will."
In a nearby cellar, police found dozens of vials and cocaine bags. Chief Prosecutor Nicolas Bessone called the trade a "slavery system," where traffickers torture teenagers over stolen sandwich money. "The average age of perpetrators and victims is dropping fast," he warned.
Social media fuels recruitment and violence
TikTok and other platforms are now key tools for Marseille's drug trade. Videos advertise "jobs" paying €250 for lookouts or €500 for drug mules, while emoji-coded posts market cocaine and hashish "from 10:00 to midnight." Prosecutors estimate the city's drug industry employs up to 20,000 people, with last year's seizures topping €42 million in criminal assets.
Far-right politician Franck Alissio blamed immigration for the crisis, calling for a state of emergency. "The drug traffickers are almost all immigrants or foreigners with dual nationality," he claimed. Critics, however, argue the problem transcends communities, rooted in decades of poverty and neglect.
'A suffering society': Experts urge systemic solutions
Writer Philippe Pujol, who received police protection after Kessaci's murder, rejected calls for tougher policing. "It treats the symptoms, not the causes," he said. "The monster is a mix of patronage, corruption, and decisions made against the public interest."
A lawyer handling gang-related cases described one teenager's ordeal: abducted after school, raped, and threatened into trafficking. "All means are used to create a workforce," she said. "These kids are still children with dreams-they don't want this violence."
