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Police officer in Marseille
Photo: Nicolas Tucat / dpa
A drug lord from Marseille who has been wanted for months has been arrested in Morocco.
According to information from the newspaper Le Parisien, it is Félix Bingui.
"Thanks to our cooperation with the Moroccan authorities, drug banditry has been dealt a serious blow today," said France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on the X platform.
The 33-year-old had been wanted by Interpol for months and is considered a key player in the Marseille drug war, as the television station BFMTV reported.
According to Le Parisien, the man nicknamed “Le Chat” (“cat” in German) is said to be the alleged leader of one of the rival gangs called “Yoda”.
He faces ten years in prison for, among other things, money laundering, importing and trafficking in narcotics and membership in a criminal gang.
Violence has increased
Drug gangs have long dominated entire neighborhoods in France's second-largest city.
For over a year, the “Yoda” clan has been fighting a bloody battle on the streets with a rival group.
Deadly reckonings occur regularly, and accidental victims are not uncommon.
Last year, 49 people died in drug-related disputes in Marseille, significantly more than in previous years.
Most recently, the opposing group in Marseille is said to have gained the upper hand over the “Yoda,” writes “Le Parisien.”
Bingui had therefore been in Morocco for several months.
The arrest of the alleged leader could now mean the end of the group.
msk/dpa