Drug trafficking gangs in France are using social media to lure and recruit teenagers, not only to distribute narcotics but also to carry out kidnappings, torture and contract killings. A BBC investigation, conducted after months of efforts to gain access to this dangerous world, reveals how young people are attracted by promises of quick money, luxury cars and an expensive lifestyle, only to become trapped in a brutal reality from which it is extremely difficult to escape.
At the centre of this criminal activity is the DZ Mafia organisation, which has become one of France’s most feared criminal groups following a bloody battle for territorial control. The organisation has expanded its influence through social media, using its criminal notoriety as a brand to attract new recruits.
According to French authorities, more than 10,000 minors were involved in some form of drug trafficking during 2025. Meanwhile, the expansion of the illegal drug market, particularly cocaine, has significantly increased the financial power of criminal organisations. The number of cocaine users in France is expected to reach two million, up from approximately 600,000 in 2017.
Torture and Abuse of Teenagers
One case illustrating how these gangs operate involves two 15-year-old boys who approached a criminal group looking for work, despite knowing that the activity was illegal.
One handled the money, while the other distributed drugs in the Frais-Vallon neighbourhood of Marseille. However, the gang leaders soon accused them of failing to generate enough revenue and began systematically abusing them.
According to testimony presented in court, the teenagers were repeatedly beaten, forced to undress and dance in front of cameras so they could be blackmailed. One of the boys was raped.
In an attempt to escape, both jumped from a second-floor window. One managed to get away, while the other was caught, beaten and stabbed, but survived. Six people have received lengthy prison sentences for torturing and abusing the teenagers.
The BBC investigation also tells the tragic story of Karine Brouillard, who lost her son Hugo after he became involved in Marseille’s criminal underworld.
Hugo had first run away from home at the age of 15 following a family dispute. Police found him three days later in Marseille, around 1,000 kilometres from his home, in possession of money and cannabis.
Several years later, in 2023, he told his family he was heading to southern France for seasonal work at a restaurant near Marseille. For several weeks, he kept in regular contact with his parents, assuring them that everything was going well.
But just three weeks later, his mother received a phone call from a doctor who delivered the devastating news: “Your son arrived last night. He had been shot in the head.”
Police suspect Hugo had become involved in the activities of one of the criminal gangs operating in the area known as Quartier Nord. His mother still does not know precisely why he was killed.
Social Media Recruitment: Earnings Starting at Age 13
BBC journalists managed to interview several people involved in gang activities, protecting their identities for security reasons.
A 20-year-old identified as Camil, who claims to have left DZ Mafia, said the organisation attracts young people by fulfilling their desires, offering everything from luxury cars and large apartments to drugs and prostitution.
According to him, this creates a sense of loyalty to the group that can last until death or imprisonment.
Another gang member, identified by the alias Adam, is being held in prison awaiting trial after being implicated in several killings. He admits to having been part of an execution squad and says his ability to remain cold-blooded helped him rise through the criminal hierarchy.
Meanwhile, another trafficker, identified as Joe, says he was earning around €3,000 a month from criminal activities when he was just 13. Now, at 23, he claims his monthly income ranges from €5,000 to €10,000.
According to Dimitri Zoulas, head of France’s anti-drug trafficking unit, the illegal narcotics trade in France generates approximately €7 billion annually and involves around 200,000 people.
Police say that since 2024, approximately 1,000 people linked to DZ Mafia have been arrested, with 600 of them imprisoned. Nevertheless, criminal organisations continue to expand their operations, replacing members who are arrested or killed with young people recruited online.
Job advertisements on social media offer positions as drivers, couriers and contract killers, often accompanied by AI-generated images portraying criminal life as an opportunity for wealth and luxury.
French authorities warn that this phenomenon poses a serious threat to national security and the functioning of the justice system.
For the families of the victims, however, the consequences are irreversible.
“They destroy families. Little sisters, little brothers, grandparents,” said Hugo’s mother, addressing the gang leaders who use children for their criminal activities.
