Overview
- Judges in Marseille are hearing the case of 20 alleged members of the Yoda drug network in a trial that began earlier this week and is expected to run into June.
- Many defendants answer evasively or refuse to identify others, repeatedly citing threats and documented attacks against relatives that have silenced testimony.
- Investigators are presenting extensive evidence from long‑running interceptions by the Office anti‑stupéfiants together with posts from Telegram, Snapchat and encrypted apps to reconstruct command lines and incidents.
- The prosecution ties the defendants to a 2023 feud with the DZ Mafia that left dozens dead and included the killing of two senior Yoda figures in Spain, a turning point in the violence.
- Félix Bingui, arrested abroad in March 2024 and presented by police as the network’s alleged patron, remains detained and denies leading the group, a dispute that highlights how intimidation, cross‑border arrests and digital traces shape the case and public safety responses.