French drug gang leader arrested in Morocco: officials

The alleged leader of a major drug gang from the southern French port city of Marseille has been arrested in Morocco, French authorities announced on Saturday.

Marseille, France's second-largest city but also one of its poorest metropoles, has been hit by drug-related violence.

"One of Marseille's biggest drug traffickers was arrested in Morocco. Bravo to the police officers who tirelessly continue the fight against drug trafficking," French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

He thanked the authorities of Morocco, saying "a big blow" had been dealt to drug trafficking.

Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone told AFP that Felix Bingui, 33, had been detained in the port city of Casablanca, Morocco's largest city.

Bingui is believed to be the leader of Yoda, one of Marseille's main drug gangs.

According to a source, the arrest was the result of months-long cooperation between French and Moroccan officials.

The gritty Mediterranean city's northern neighbourhoods, notorious for their rundown streets and housing estates, are seen as the hub of the narcotics trade.

The city has in recent years witnessed a turf war for control of the highly profitable drug market between Yoda and another major clan known as DZ Mafia.

According to a source close to the investigation, Bingui regularly shuttled back and forth between France and Morocco until the outbreak of the turf war with DZ Mafia in February, 2023.

Last year, 49 people were killed and more than 120 received injuries in drug-related violence between rival gangs in Marseille.

A notorious drug smuggler, Karim Harrat, was extradited from Morocco to France in 2023.