Teenager ‘stabbed 50 times’ and burned alive in Marseille

A 15-year-old boy was stabbed “50 times” and burned alive in the southern French city of Marseille this week in an apparent case of drug-related violence, prosecutors said Sunday.

Speaking to reporters, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the teenager was murdered on Wednesday, describing the case as an “unprecedented cruelty”.

Marseille, France’s second largest city but also one of the poorest, is plagued by drug-related violence.

Bessone said victims and perpetrators of such violence were getting younger.

The city has witnessed a turf war in recent years for control of the highly profitable drug market between several clans, including DZ Mafia.

The teenager had been hired by a 23-year-old prisoner to intimidate a competitor by setting his door on fire, the prosecutor said, adding that he had been promised 2,000 euros.

However, the teenager had been spotted by members of a rival gang who stabbed him repeatedly and then set him on fire, he added.

The same inmate then recruited a 14-year-old minor to carry out a revenge attack and kill a member of the Blacks gang, promising to pay him 50,000 euros.

The 14-year-old hired a 36-year-old driver who angered the minor and ultimately killed him.

The two latest cases mean the number of drug-related murders in Marseille has risen to 17 since the start of the year.

By comparison, a total of 49 people were killed in drug-related violence in Marseille in 2023. (AFP)