Has France crippled its largest Algerian-linked drug gang?

France has launched a law enforcement operation targeting a powerful drug syndicate known as the DZ Mafia, RFI reports on the 5th of August. Known as Operation Octopus, investigators are targeting middle managers, money laundering schemes, and corrupt insiders. They seized luxury cars and real estate. They also exposed lawyers smuggling digital messages to jailed bosses.

The group at the centre of this sweep is a powerful drug cartel rooted in Marseille’s public housing projects. Its name comes from Dzair, the local term for Algeria, reflecting the heritage of its founders. The syndicate is infamous for bloody turf wars over drug markets (points de deal). It is also renowned for contract killings and extreme cross-border violence.

Following a recent breakthrough, an important member and co-founder, Mehdi Laribi, was arrested. Laribi, nicknamed “TIC,” fled France and took refuge in Algeria. Because he holds dual nationality and Algeria does not extradite its citizens, French authorities needed a diplomatic shift. French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin travelled to Algiers to revive judicial cooperation. This partnership finally led to Laribi’s arrest under judicial control. 

Despite the police crackdown, top bosses still run their empires from behind bars. Most leaders are locked up in high-security French prisons. Yet, they use smartphones and digital apps to command street dealers and wage turf wars directly from their cells.

Davide Brémi, an organised crime researcher at Cnam and Crim’HALT, explains that Laribi was the only top boss operating outside France. While his capture is a major blow, Brémi notes that foreign safe havens are driven more by personal ties than legal loopholes.

Ultimately, experts warn that arrests alone cannot stop drug cartels. True victory requires bigger economic and social changes, as well as stronger laws to protect witnesses and insiders who want to break away from criminal networks.

RFI, Maghrebi.org.