The crazy figures of the XXL anti-drug operation in Marseille

In Marseille, a law enforcement operation to combat drug trafficking mobilizes thousands of police officers and gendarmes. In the viewfinder, controlled trafficé by the Yoda and DZ Mafia gangs whose scale and financial value are extraordinary.

This is the most important sweeping operation ever implemented to combat drug trafficking across the country. Marseilles. The operation " XXL net square " was é launched on Monday March 18 in the city Phocéenne to destabilize the traffickers who have imposed themselves in certain districts of the second city of France. And the first day of the law enforcement operation seems to have had an impact. its fruits: seizures of narcotics and cars involved in mass trafficking or even arrests.

Gérald Darmanin, who worked on in the shadows on this operation for six months, goes to Marseille this Tuesday, March 19, the day after the launch of the large-scale operation, to take stock of the catch from the Marseille North division police station. He is accompanied by of the Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti, and of the Minister Delegate in charge of Citizenship, Sabrina Agresti-Roubache. If the trip of three ministers was not enough To show the importance of fighting against drug trafficking, Emmanuel Macron himself made the surprise of going to Paris. Marseille à time to take stock of Operation XXL.

750 law enforcement personnel over a day, 4,000 over a week

While operations " clearly " have been implemented in the last quarter of 2023, the XXL version of the system is extraordinary due to the forces mobilized. 750 police officers and gendarmes were deployed for the single day of Monday March 18 and simultaneous interventions in different neighborhoods of the city, particularly in the cityé de la Castellane, a hotspot for Marseille traffic. The crime division's intervention teams territorial units, the territorial units of the northern districts, the republican security companies; (CRS) or even dog brigades, specialized in the detection of narcotics, were on the ground alongside the unit national investigative team dedicated to clean-cut operations.

After such an introduction, the operation " XXL Net Square &quot will continue à Marseille and its surroundings. There are 4,000 members of the police who will be mobilized per week. Marseille, but also further afield in the Bouches-du-Rhône department.

170 targeted operations

Ultimately, the " XXL net space " must lead à carrying out 170 targeted interventions against deal points, strategic points or influential personalities in drug trafficking & Marseilles. If the city center is Phocéenne and around ten red-light districts will attract the main attention – the Castellance district of course, but also other cities and towns. like Rosiers, Campagne Lévêque or Château-Saint-Loup –, the police will be mobilized more widely. The port of Marseille and Saint-Charles station, which can serve as an entry or exit point for narcotics, will be placed under surveillance and locked. Likewise, the motorways and toll barriers surrounding Marseille and the surrounding area will be placed under the surveillance of surveillance and intervention platoons (Psig ) and specialized protection platoons (Pspg). Gendarmes will even be deployed in neighboring towns such as Gardanne or Château Renard explains Le Figaro.

This surveillance will go beyond French borders since the operation " Place net XXL  " will benefit from the support of the General Directorate of Security. Interior (DGSI) which participates in the fight against drug trafficking à at the request of Gérald Darmanin. " We operate as in the fight against terrorism to prevent the mafias from taking power " indicate the police in the same newspaper.

The 50 most wanted traffickers

In addition to the 170 operations planned, a list of the 50  most wanted " was é drawn up by the Anti-Narcotics Office (Ofast). These individuals suspected of directing trafficking, many of them from abroad, were the subject of surveillance techniques in order to provide those investigated with information about their behavior. " enough information to challenge them ". One of these men, the alleged leader of the of the Yoga drug trafficking gang named é Félix Bingui, wasé arrested &agrav; Casablanca, Morocco, on March 8.

A turnover of 80,000 euros per day

Unprecedented means are being deployed to fight against drug trafficking which is gaining strength across the country. Marseilles. It must be said that the government has been é arrested and worried by the words of magistrates during the Senate commission of inquiry into the fight against drug trafficking. " We are losing the war against traffickers à Marseille “, had launchedé the head of the crime department organized by the Marseille prosecutor's office, Isabelle Fort, as Le Figaro recalls. Traffic has become so established that it has become a very lucrative business, particularly for the two rival gangs who dominate the market. Marseille: Yoda and the DZ Mafia. The two clans are competing for deal points, some of which can reach a daily turnover of 80,000 euros according to newspaper information. Astronomical sums that arouse desire.

If Marseille is the first city è be the subject of an operation " XXL " by drug trafficking, other French cities should soon see similar systems organized. " The idea is to crack down on traffic and break an economic model by calling on the big barons but also the small ones, likely to take over from them " explained the Minister of the Interior. The objective is clear: regain control over drug trafficking.