Morocco extradites head of notorious Marseille drug gang to France

A police officer patrols in downtown Marseille, southern France, on 21 March 2024.

The alleged leader of the "Yoda" clan, one of the biggest drug gangs in Marseille, has been extradited from Morocco to France, following his arrest last year. This comes as lawmakers prepare to debate a bill to tighten measures against drug trafficking.

Accused of being at the origin of a deadly drug trafficking war in France's second largest city, 34-year-old Félix Bingui was arrested on 8 March, 2024 in Casablanca.

In April 2024, during a hearing at the Rabat Court of Cassation, he agreed to be extradited to France.

He arrived in France on Tuesday and is expected to be heard by the investigating judge, according to a report in Le Parisien daily newspaper.

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Reacting on social media platform X, the newly-appointed French Justice Minister, Gérald Darmanin wrote that the extradition was a "victory against narcobanditism".

Darmanin, who was Interior Minister when Bingui was arrested, thanked the Moroccan authorities for their cooperation in the extradition process, "which will finally allow French justice to judge him".

The arrest warrant issued by a Marseille investigating judge accused Bingui of "importing narcotics through an organised gang, the transport, detention, acquisition and transfer of narcotics, criminal association (...) money laundering and non-justification of resources".

Born in Alès, in the Gard region, Bingui has an extensive police record, Le Parisien said, adding Bingui went by the nickname "le chat".


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