Chouf, charcoal burner, MDMA, shooting… This lexicon previously confined to the fringes has entered our conversations as an observation of collective powerlessness. If the word “drugs” is familiar to us, it is because France is undergoing a historic change: where the mafia, masters of intimidation of police officers, judges, elected officials and journalists, are establishing themselves as a real counterforce.
The murder of Mehdi Kessaci, the brother of an environmental activist committed to fighting drug trafficking in Marseille, marked a terrible escalation. The Minister of Home Affairs himself spoke about the crime of intimidation.
The DZ mafia, which has become the main criminal organization in the country, is estimated to have between 5 and 6 billion euros in cash, according to Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin. And the drug economy would employ 200,000 people, the equivalent of La Poste. Dizzy. Giant. At this stage, what is happening is no longer just a deviation, but a political, social and democratic challenge.
The National Narcotics Agency report states a “existential threat”. The words are not very strong. Once hidden in the shadows, drug traffickers now operate in broad daylight, confident in their power, confident in embodying a counterculture and, in certain circles, a parallel social order. The numbers are endless: +33% murders and attempted murders since 2021, 173 cities affected by solving the problem by 2024. Gangrene spreads, eats away, destroys.
Everyone pretends not to understand that the grunting queue on Saturday night finances the crunching kalach on Tuesday morning.
Of course, you have to chase the godfathers, the lieutenants, and the little hands. But we cannot ignore the responsibility of those fueling this deadly trade: consumers. One in two adults has smoked marijuana. Cocaine, once reserved for the golden nights of the jet-set, has become democratized among workers, farmers and students. The price per gram no longer scares many people. And everyone pretends not to understand that the snorting queue on Saturday night finances the crunching kalach on Tuesday morning.
François Hollande’s presidency was marked by the fight against terrorism; that Emmanuel Macron must go through an endless war against drug trafficking. With special laws, a special prosecutor’s office, two prisons for the most dangerous criminals, Éric Dupond-Moretti then Gérald Darmanin – finally – laid the first milestone of a beginning that had been awaited for too long. But how can we not feel the same outrage as the French when we learn that certain gang leaders ordered executions from their cells?
A strict ban on cell phones (eventually) makes sense, as does systematic protection of judges and police officers. Corruption must be eradicated without weakness. We’ve wasted a lot of time.
The Mafia is the result of a society that prefers to look the other way.
Roberto Saviano, writer.
Italian writer Roberto Saviano recalls this “Mafias are the result of a society that prefers to look the other way.” No one should ever look down again. Neither elected officials, nor law enforcement, nor judges, nor especially private citizens. Let’s fight the octopus that is strangling the Republic, destroying life and creating death. And let’s remind those who still dream of the mirage of gangsterism that Tony Montana is no hero – and, as Jamel Debbouze says, being an actor, “It’s less dangerous than selling drugs.”
Finally, a tribute to all those who marched in Marseille, worthy and brave, in memory of Mehdi Kessaci. Their determination must become ours.
