Overview
- The trial of about 20 defendants accused of drug trafficking, criminal association and money laundering began on 18 May at the tribunal correctionnel de Marseille and is moving toward closing arguments and a verdict this trial week.
- Investigators say Ofast surveillance from 2021–2023, including vehicle recordings, image captures and phone taps, maps a hierarchical network that ran lucrative street-deal points in north Marseille.
- Lead defendant Félix Bingui, accused by police of heading the so-called clan Yoda, has denied all charges in court and said his travel and lifestyle came from family reasons, legal work and gambling gains.
- Alleged lieutenant Mohamed H. has also repeatedly denied involvement, while some lower-level co‑defendants have admitted roles such as courier or runner and several women close to members provided incriminating testimony.
- Police link the Yoda–DZ Mafia rivalry to a violent 2023 turf war that left dozens dead and destabilised northern neighbourhoods, a context prosecutors say strengthens their argument about organised command and profit from street-deal points.