Overview
- Bingui, 35, and 19 co-defendants appeared Monday before Marseille’s 7th chamber for a three-week trial set to run through June 5 under reinforced security.
- They face charges of drug trafficking, criminal association and money laundering as repeat offenses, and Bingui denies the accusations from his cell in Vendin-le-Vieil prison.
- Investigators say the Yoda network ran La Paternelle’s main dealing site, called La Fontaine, using stash apartments, encrypted phones and front men with links to Spain, Morocco and Dubai.
- The feud with the rival DZ Mafia exploded in 2023 into roughly 50 drug-related killings, with about 35 tied to that conflict, after flashpoints from a Phuket nightclub clash to murders in Salou.
- Court filings describe lavish travel and luxury purchases and cite Dubai property attributed to Bingui, while two accused remain at large, including a manager investigators say is based in Morocco.