France: Five men on trial for murder of anti-drug activist Amine Kessaci's brother

The verdict is expected Monday in the trial of five men, including an alleged DZ mafia leader, accused of murdering the older brother of anti-drug activist Amin Kessassi. After more than three weeks of hearings under heavy security, they face life imprisonment. For more on this story, we can bring in France 24's international affairs editor, Angela Diffley. Angela, why has there been such a focus on this trial? Wow. You mentioned two things there, Delano. DZ Mafia, that is a big drugs gang in Marseille, based in Marseille. DZ, because that is the internet domain code, you know, like in France, it's .fr. DZ is Algeria, and the two people who set it up were born in Algeria. It's called the DZ Mafia. The other reason there's a lot of noise around this trial is, Amin Kessassi. This trial is over the killing of his older brother in 2020. The prosecutor suggests it was a turf war thing and was led by a hierarchy within the gang. Yeah. He also lost his younger brother last year, Mehdi, his younger brother, in 2025. And so the idea that he has lost two brothers to drug crime in Marseille has made him a very, very important figure. He was actually something of a green activist, an ecology activist in Marseille. He's now on the mayoral team. He's a senior member. So they now have someone on the mayoral team who really does know what it is like to be at the hard end of drug crime in Marseille. You know, You know, after this came to light, after his brother was killed in 2025, there was a big campaign to try and make ordinary people who might be right at the other end of these drugs chains examine their consciences a little. That is people with disposable income, often respectable jobs, who buy cocaine. France's cocaine consumption apparently has gone up to one million people who say they have consumed cocaine during the year. You know, a much higher figure, I think, than most people remember. And, of course, behind that is the usual scenario around drugs, young minors being used as scouts, witness tampering often, and there are fears that in this case there was a witness tampering. What do you bring? Briefly, Angela, just talk us through how big the problem is in the city of Marseille. How dangerous is it really? Well, they have had some success. In March this year, 41 members of this gang were arrested. 15 of them are in detention. So there has been some success. And the killings around drug crime in Marseille were at a peak in 2023. 49 people were killed in one year. Thank Drug-related killings, that is down to five so far this year, still too many, but a significant reduction. It's not quite clear why, whether it's just that the turf wars reached their peak in 2023 or whether it is to do with police activity, we don't know. They have had some opérations net you. where they've cleared out neighbourhoods, cleared out drug dealers, but the problem is often they just set up somewhere else and then go back. It's very difficult as well because there's always a danger in Marseille of sort of glamorising it. It's so woven into the popular culture of Marseille, into films, you know, French Connection years ago. You know, it's geographically placed. It is a gateway from, you know, it's on the other side of the Mediterranean from Morocco. That is still a major route from marijuana, it seems. And there's a danger that it becomes a little bit glamorised, a little bit part of the folk culture, if you like, of the city. It's a great place otherwise. I know a lot of people go there for summer vacations more and more every year, but there's this side to it as well, clearly. Angela, thank you very much for that. Angela Diffley there.