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France Elevates Marseille Killing to National Organized‑Crime Case as Macron Orders Tougher Anti‑Drug Push

Officials now treat the shooting as a warning aimed at activist Amine Kessaci’s circle, triggering high‑level moves to speed the new anti‑narcotics framework.

Overview

  • Paris prosecutors and the national organized‑crime jurisdiction (Junalco) have taken over the investigation, previously led by the Marseille parquet.
  • Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called the murder a crime of intimidation and a point of no return, and he and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin will visit Marseille on Thursday.
  • Emmanuel Macron told ministers to amplify enforcement of the new narcotrafic law, will reconvene a follow‑up meeting in mid‑December, and plans a visit to Marseille afterward.
  • Mehdi Kessaci, 20, was unknown to police and was killed by assailants on a motorcycle; an inquiry for murder in an organized gang context is underway and the suspects remain at large.
  • A private burial was held Tuesday, a white march is scheduled for 22 November, and an online fundraiser for the family has surpassed €10,000.