The Ministers of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, and of Justice, Didier Migaud, traveled to Marseille on Friday to announce measures against drug trafficking. Families were able to meet them to convey their expectations.
Published on 08/11/2024 20:58
Reading time: 3min
“Un combat national”and “electroshock” against drug trafficking. The words of the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau and the Minister of Justice Didier Migaud, gathered on Friday November 8 in Marseille to jointly announce a series of measures against drug trafficking: strengthening of police and judicial resources, creation of a specialized prosecutor's office anti-crime.
Ministers want to tackle a threat “sprawling” which they compare to the terrorist threat. And they said they were overwhelmed by the discussions they had in the morning with families of victims of drug trafficking in Marseille, families who hope for action, beyond promises.
After having discussed at length with the two ministers, the families of the victims of drug trafficking welcome certain measures announced. Laetitia Linon lost her nephew, Rayanne, 14, killed by a burst of Kalashnikovs, and approves of the fact that drug traffickers will be judged in the future like terrorists, by specially composed assize courts.. “I am for them to be judged as terrorists because they terrorize thousands of people when they come and shoot in the neighborhoods, she says. With exemplary sentences and a special jury, which would not be threatened or corrupted as we have seen in certain cases.”
For her part, Karima Meziene, whose brother was shot and killed, explains that it was so important that the French government takes inspiration from what Italy is doing to fight against the mafias. “There is the status of the repentant that they want to put in place. I find that it is a good thing to allow the progress of our files and their elucidation, she believes. There is also specialized parquet, it's a good thing if they put the resources into it.”
Faced with ministers, the families of victims reminded the neighborhoods that the violence of drug trafficking tends to be trivialized from a very young age. “We talked about the collective trauma of these kids who, at the age of 4 or 5, witnessed assassinations from their window or in their neighborhood, says Karima Meziene. We recalled that it was not normal in our society for people at 14 to become a murderer. Repression is good but we must not forget the prevention aspect.”
“Before it comes to an assassination, there are things that can be done beforehand so that these young people do not fall into thisexplains Laetitia Linon, spokesperson for the family collective in Marseille. When you have completely isolated neighborhoods where young people don't even have enough money to get a bus ticket, it would perhaps be necessary to reinsert structures within the neighborhoods to prevent these young people from being lost and doing everything and anything. And we know that the problem in the neighborhoods is drug trafficking.”
There have been no announcements on possible social measures in the neighborhoods, but the Minister of Justice affirmed that a communication campaign would be launched to show the links between drug consumption and the violence of traffickers. .
