Boy 'stabbed 50 times' and burned alive in suspected drug war in France | Drug News

Prosecutors say the murdered teenager in the city of Marseille was allegedly hired by a 23-year-old prisoner to intimidate a member of a rival gang.

A 15-year-old boy was “stabbed 50 times” and burned alive in southern France earlier this week. This appeared to be drug-related violence that appeared to be linked to a second murder, according to the Marseille city prosecutor's office.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the teenager was murdered on Wednesday, describing the case as a case of “unprecedented cruelty.”

Marseille, France's second largest city but also one of its poorest, has been hit by drug-related violence in recent years, dubbed “drug murder” in the French media.

In recent years there has been a turf war in the city between various clans, including the DZ Mafia, for control of the highly profitable drug market.

Bessone said the slain teenager had been hired by a 23-year-old prisoner to intimidate a competitor by setting fire to their door, adding that he had been promised 2,000 euros ($2,200).

The newspaper L'Yonne Republicaine identified the mastermind as an inmate at Aix-Luynes prison near Aix-en-Provence and a member of the DZ mafia group.

However, before the armed teenager carried out the attack, he was spotted by members of a rival gang, who then repeatedly stabbed him and set him on fire, the prosecutor said.

After his original plan failed following the teenager's death, the same prisoner in Luynes recruited a second minor, a 14-year-old, to carry out a revenge attack and kill a member of the rival gang, promising to pay the boy 50,000 euros (55,000 $).

After receiving orders to carry out his mission, the teenager and another person boarded a taxi to the site of the revenge attack. The teenager then reportedly asked the unnamed 36-year-old driver to wait for him.

When the driver refused his request, the suspected teen murderer became enraged and shot the driver with a .357 Magnum revolver before fleeing, Le Monde newspaper reported.

The names of the suspects and victims in the murders were not released by the prosecutor.

The two most recent cases bring the number of drug-related murders in Marseille this year to 17. In 2023, a total of 49 people were killed in drug-related violence in Marseille.

Prosecutor Bessone noted that the victims and perpetrators of the city's recent violence are becoming younger and younger.