Teenager stabbed 50 times, burned alive in Marseille: Prosecutors

A 15-year-old boy was "stabbed 50 times" and burned alive this week in the southern French city of Marseille in an apparent case of drug-related violence, prosecutors said on Sunday. Speaking to reporters, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the teenager was murdered on Wednesday, describing the case as one of "unprecedented savagery". Marseille, France's second-largest city but also one of its poorest, is plagued by drug-related violence.

Bessone said that victims and perpetrators of such violence were getting increasingly younger. The city has in recent years witnessed a turf war for control of the highly profitable drug market between various clans including DZ Mafia. The teenager had been hired by a 23-year-old prisoner to intimidate a competitor by setting fire to his door, the prosecutor said, adding he had been promised 2,000 euros.



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