'Explosion' in drug-related crimes rock Marseille

The southern French city of Marseille has been rocked by a series of gang-related, drug-linked murders that have divided local people and politicians on how best to deal with the massively impoverished local communities at the center of the violence.

In the latest flare-up, four men died during the weekend in the northern 14th district, close to an area known as a drug-dealing hotspot. The deaths followed the slaying on Aug 18 of a 14-year-old child by automatic gunfire in the city, which is famed for its high-end beach-front luxury condos, but less well-known for its vast and hugely impoverished housing estates in the north.

Police say the succession of recent killings is part of a turf war in the Mediterranean port city, which is one of the largest conurbations in France and which has long been associated with the large-scale smuggling of drugs into Europe.

The Guardian newspaper quoted Dominique Laurens, a government prosecutor in Marseille, as saying the murders have been unusual in their "extreme cruelty and ... complete lack of humanity".

She said at least 12 people had been killed in the city's gang wars during the past two months alone, including one man in his 20s who was bundled into the trunk of a car by abductors who then torched the vehicle with him trapped inside.

"We have never had victims so young," Laurens added, noting that an 8-year-old was recently wounded in a shooting.

Many of the victims of the violence are well known to police as members of criminal gangs but others have been caught up in the crossfire, or were killed to send a message to those watching, police said.

Cycle of violence

Nathalie Roche, a magistrate and former children's judge in Marseille, said on a French radio station that many young people in impoverished housing estates in the city, where unemployment runs at around 70 percent, have been sucked into the cycle of violence against their will.

"My children want us to leave. It's a disaster what we have to live through here," a mother in the 14th district told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

The Guardian said left-wing politicians in the city have called for more investment to improve people's lives while right-wing politicians have called for more spending on law enforcement.

Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan, a socialist, said the city's illicit drug trade is worth millions of dollars to the cartels vying for control, and the money has made them powerful.

"We're talking about people who are obtaining heavy weaponry over the internet," he said.

AFP said France's Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti has promised to send more magistrates to help clear the backlog of cases that has accompanied the "explosion "of violence.

He said: "The justice system needs resources."

The BBC added that French President Emmanuel Macron is planning to visit the city of 3 million people next week, to talk about how the government might tackle entrenched poverty and lawlessness as an election year approaches.

Agencies contributed to this story.