French Drug Gangs Recruit Children to Kill

France’s illegal drug trade generates €7bn (£5.9bn) annually, involving 200,000 people and fueled by a sharp rise in cocaine demand that has pushed user numbers toward two million, according to the head of the country’s anti-drug trafficking unit, Dimitri Zoulas.

DZ Mafia Dominates Marseille Through Digital Promotion

The criminal landscape centers on Marseille, where the DZ Mafia emerged victorious from a bloody turf war to become one of the most feared organizations in the country.

According to Dimitri Zoulas, the syndicate gained major traction in 2023 by becoming the first French criminal group to use its fame via video broadcasts, utilizing digital platforms to promote itself commercially like a corporate entity.

Inside the French drug gangs recruiting children to kill. #France #Crime #BBCNews

In July, intelligence pointing to a potential threat against a nearby town’s mayor prompted authorities to place the official under police protection. In an online video related to the incident, six masked men dressed in black stood behind a table as one read a statement denying the DZ Mafia’s involvement.

Gangs Recruit Children for Trafficking and Violent Crime

Authorities report that the number of minors caught up in trafficking is increasing, with many of those distributing the drugs being children. Official figures show that more than 10,000 children were involved in trafficking in some way during 2025. Gangs are now recruiting young people from across France not only to sell narcotics, but also to carry out kidnappings, torture, and murders.

Inside the French drug gangs recruiting children to kill

Police and judges warn that young recruits are viewed by kingpins—who typically control operations from prison or overseas—as a generation that is easy to corrupt but also expendable.

The 2022 Frais-Vallon Captivity Case

The extreme brutality within the drug trade was exposed in 2022 on a Marseille housing estate, where a woman who had just bought hashish decided to call the police after being handed a note by a young seller during their brief meeting.

We’re being held captive and need help.

Teenage drug dealer

Six men have since been handed hefty sentences for what happened to the two teenagers. The ordeal of these boys shows the absolute control that narcotics syndicates exert over districts in France’s secondary metropolis, a setting defined by impoverished thoroughfares and vertical housing projects within the coastal hub where law enforcement enters with extreme caution.

Inside the Criminal Ranks

Syndicates entice at-risk adolescents with visions of effortless wealth, only to ensnare them within an existence characterized by narcotics trafficking, extreme violence, and severe mistreatment.

A traveling journalistic delegation observed firsthand the methods syndicates employ via online platforms to enlist contract killers, while also interviewing multiple youths entangled in the conflict. From prison, one gang member accused of involvement in several murders explained how his cold-bloodedness had helped him rise through the ranks.