around thirty people, suspected of being involved in racketeering targeting night establishments, arrested in Marseille

Around twenty of these suspects must be presented to an investigating judge.

Around thirty people, suspected of being involved in extortion operations at the start of the summer against Marseille nightclubs in particular, were arrested by the Marseille judicial police at the start of the week, franceinfo learned from a source close to the matter Thursday November 21. On Monday, 28 people were arrested, mostly aged around 30, some of whom were taken from cells to be placed in police custody by the Marseille Banditry Suppression Brigade.

Around twenty of these suspects must be presented to an investigating judge, who for several months has been investigating with the greatest discretion a team which, in June, sought to get their hands on several Marseille night establishments. This team is suspected of being part of the “DZ Mafia” clan, mainly known for its activities in drug trafficking and score-settling which bloody the Marseille city.

“We analyze this as a possible diversification of the activity of the criminal organization, which no longer only does narcotics but other areas where there is money”comments an investigator with franceinfo. “We hit the DZ hard”underlines another. The investigation was opened for “organized extortion”. The method, described by an expert: have your men placed to ensure the security of the establishment, or even ask for a “tithe” from the owners.

During the searches, police officers from the Organized and Specialized Crime Division (ex-PJ) seized weapons, including an assault rifle, as well as several tens of thousands of euros.