DZ Mafia Expands Recruitment Nationwide as French Drug Market Hits 7 Billion Euros
Gangs in Marseille are using social media to recruit teenagers across France for drug dealing and violence, coinciding with a sharp rise in cocaine consumption.
By Ethan Cook ·
Marseille-based drug networks are actively recruiting teenagers across France to handle drug sales and execute violent crimes, according to a new investigation. The expansion of these criminal groups is linked to a substantial growth in the country's illegal drug economy. Police officials indicate that the recruitment strategy targets young people with few prior convictions but significant personal vulnerabilities.
The scale of the operation is reflected in recent economic data. Dimitri Zoulas, the head of France's anti-drug trafficking unit, stated that annual drug-smuggling revenue has reached 7 billion euros. He estimated that 200,000 individuals are currently involved in the trade. Zoulas also predicted that cocaine use will soon affect two million people in France, a figure that represents a tripling of the 600,000 users recorded in 2017.
Official statistics underscore the youth involved in these networks. Data from 2025 shows that more than 10,000 children participated in drug trafficking in some capacity. These figures provide context for the increasing number of arrests, with police reporting that approximately 1,000 people associated with the DZ Mafia have been detained since 2024. Of those arrested, 600 are currently serving time in prison.
The DZ Mafia has emerged as the dominant force in Marseille following a period of violent territorial conflict. The group distinguished itself in 2023 by using video statements to build a brand identity, a tactic Zoulas noted was a first for a French gang. One of the organization's founders, Mehdi Laribi, was detained in Algeria earlier this year under a French arrest warrant. This consolidation of power has allowed the gang to project influence far beyond its home city.
Social media has become the primary channel for finding new members. Investigators found numerous online advertisements seeking drivers, couriers, and hitmen. These posts often feature glamorous images generated by artificial intelligence. Police say these advertisements reach teenagers in major cities such as Paris, Nantes, and Lille. Recruits frequently have no criminal history but face social difficulties, such as troubled family lives, which organizers exploit to draw them in.
Former members describe a system that mixes material rewards with strict control. Camil, a 20-year-old who previously oversaw security for the group, listed benefits that included cars, apartments, drugs, and prostitutes. He explained that these perks created loyalty among members. However, he noted that any display of weakness could be used by superiors as a tool of control, making it difficult to leave.
Another former member, Adam, spoke from prison while awaiting trial on multiple murder charges. He described the criminal environment he entered as a trap. His account aligns with the experiences of other recruits who found it hard to exit the network once they had been integrated into the organization's daily operations.
The human cost of the expansion is visible in cases that have reached the courts. In 2022, two 15-year-old boys were held captive on the Frais-Vallon estate in Marseille. They had sought paid work with a gang but were accused of shortages in their takings. The court heard that the boys suffered repeated beatings and were filmed dancing naked for blackmail purposes. One boy was raped. A customer alerted police after receiving a handwritten note from one of the captives. Both boys later attempted to escape through a second-storey window. One succeeded, but the other was recaptured, beaten, and stabbed. He survived, and six men have since received lengthy sentences for the incident.
Families outside Marseille are also affected by the gangs' reach. Karine Brouillard's son, Hugo, traveled to the south in 2023 under the pretense of a restaurant holiday job. Three weeks later, a doctor informed her that he had arrived with a bullet wound to the head. Hugo died, and his mother still does not know the reason for the shooting. Police suspect gang involvement, while the restaurant stated it had never recruited him.
Zoulas warned that the growth of trafficking now poses a threat to national security. He said the volume of cases risks overwhelming the criminal justice system. Gangs continue to recruit new members to replace those who are imprisoned or killed, ensuring the network expands despite ongoing police efforts.
