“A young person can become a killer overnight”: this is how gangs transform minors into “teen killers”

Increasingly young, often minors, they execute contracts for sums of up to 30,000 euros. “Narchomicides”, these murders linked to drug trafficking, are exploding in Europe. A chilling violence where teenagers become the weapons of criminal networks.

Criminal networks no longer hesitate to recruit minors to carry out their dirty work. According to Europol, seven out of ten gangs employ young people aged 13 and over, attracted by the lure of profit or forced by threat. In France, 60% of people indicted for assassinations or attempted assassinations linked to drug trafficking are between 14 and 21 years old.

Among these young killers, Matteo, 18, has become the symbol of a generation marked by extreme violence. In April 2023, videos of him, hooded and laughing, showing him bragging about his “contracts”, shocked the country. He is now suspected of five murders.

Cheap labor

The youth of the killers is no coincidence. Sponsors favor these profiles to reduce their own risks. Yann Sourisseau, head of the Central Office for the Fight against Organized Crime, explains: “They don't even know their victims. They only kill them for money. These young people are expendable actors, it doesn't matter if they get arrested”.

Criminal networks exploit modern methods for recruitment, notably via Snapchat and Telegram. These platforms also serve to glorify violence. Videos of crimes in real time, private discussions fueled by macabre images: the staging fascinates and recruits.

Marseille, laboratory of imported violence

The city of Marseille clearly illustrates this rise in power of young hitmen. Mohamed, educator at Marronniers, sounds the alarm: “Now a young person can become a killer overnight”. Some, like Pablo, a young Marseillais under 25 years old, recount their journey, from small-time dealer to assassin. For a murder, he says he received 20,000 euros, but admits to paying the price: “I sleep badly, very badly”.

Contrary to what one might believe, these murders were not improvised. Criminal networks operate precisely, with each step carefully planned. Surveillance videos show chilling scenes: men shot dead in the street, during rush hour. Despite the brutality and exposure of these acts, the sponsors remain in the shadows. This criminal subcontracting allows them to protect themselves: if a young assassin is arrested, he will easily be replaced.

Watch the show “Still minors, already killers” this Friday at 7:50 p.m. on RTL tvi and streaming on RTL play.

France Marseille killer