It’s a video of just one minute and thirty seconds. We see a hooded gang, dressed in black, presenting themselves as the DZ Mafia, which proclaims its innocence in the latest murders which affected Marseille, such as that of the 37-year-old VTC driver, Nessim Ramdane. The Marseille prosecutor’s office wants to authenticate this video.
About fifteen men dressed in black, hoods hiding their faces. They are also hooded, gathered around a spokesperson who does not introduce himself. The tone is austere, we can sense a slight Marseille accent. In a video posted on social networks, Wednesday October 9, around fifteen people presenting themselves as belonging to the DZ Mafia, a drug trafficking group, claim to have no link with the murder of a VTC driver in Marseille on October 4.
In a press release released on Wednesday, the Marseille prosecutor’s office announced the opening of an investigation to find out more about this video.
In front of a piece of furniture or a table covered with white fabric tagged “DZ Mafia”, a hooded man speaks in this video. In a few sentences, the cartel proclaims its innocence regarding the latest murders linked to drug banditry in Marseille. “False information has been circulating for several days in the media and networks about the events that occurred between last Wednesday and Friday. Today’s press release is made with the intention of reestablishing the truth. First of all, we send our most sincere condolences to the family of the deceased, wishing them strength and courage in their ordeal.“
The first words therefore go directly to the families, while the funeral of the VTC driver shot dead in cold blood by a teenager on October 4, brought together hundreds of people at the mosque in the 14th arrondissement of Marseille, the day before, on October 8.
🇫🇷 FLASH | The DZ Mafia cartel in Marseille publishes a press release and denies any responsibility in the death of VTC driver, Nassim Ramdane, shot in cold blood by a 14-year-old hitman. They claim that this incident was orchestrated with the aim of… pic.twitter.com/m6LdFWlGBY
— Cerfia (@CerfiaFR) October 9, 2024
“We also do not want any young child from Marseille or elsewhere to be involved, either remotely or closely. That 14, 15 year old children are no longer involved in such stories as victims or culprits.”
“Now, as far as the facts are concerned, the DZ mafia has absolutely nothing to do with anything that happened. Today our name is used by many malicious and ill-intentioned people who have no connection with us. Like the 23-year-old in the isolation section of the Luynes remand center, this sick and mythomaniac man posing as a member of the DZ mafia has absolutely no connection with us. We don’t know him. We never have such people in our circle.”
The man reading a text continues just as calmly in a clear tone with a distorted and robotic voice so as not to be recognized: “To conclude, the modus operandi does not correspond to us in any way: the 14 year old child as well as the use of VTC to commit a crime has nothing to do with our methods. We have enough men, means and vehicles to act if we were obliged to do so. We hope that the truth will be restored. Signed the DZ mafia.”
“The Marseille public prosecutor’s office confirms having opened an investigation into the head of a criminal association with a view to preparing crimes and offenses relating to organized crime following the broadcast on social networks of a video in which individuals presenting as members of the DZ Mafia refute the involvement of this organization in the assassinations of a 15-year-old teenager and a VTC driver perpetrated between October 2 and 4, 2024 in Marseille.explains Nicolas Bessone, the public prosecutor in Marseille.
On which social networks was the video posted first? No official response yet. In 2023, the Telegram and Snapchat channels were already used by the gang. The specialized services will have to work carefully to determine whether this video is indeed an authentic document from the DZ Mafia. “The investigations entrusted to SIPJ 13 and the Anti-Cybercrime Office (OFAC) aim to authenticate this video and identify the people who are behind it.“, specifies the prosecution.