Félix Bingui alias le Chat, head of one of the two main narco-banditry clans in Marseille, was arrested in Morocco, the Interior Ministry announced on Saturday March 9.
The alleged leader of one of the two most important narco-banditry clans in Marseille, Félix Bingui, was arrested by Moroccan authorities in Casablanca on Friday evening. The announcement was made on Saturday March 9 by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, confirming information from Le Parisien. “One of the biggest Marseille drug traffickers was arrested in Morocco. Bravo to the police officers who are tirelessly continuing the fight against drug trafficking,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) before adding: “A big blow is today inclined to narco-banditry thanks to our cooperation with the Moroccan authorities, whom I thank.” The Public Prosecutor of Marseille, Nicolas Bessone, also wanted to point out that “this arrest is the result of remarkable cooperation from the Moroccan authorities (…) and the meticulous and tireless work” of the French police officers, in a Press release.
Flight to Morocco
French police officers from the Central Office for the Fight against Organized Crime (OCLCO) and Ofast (Anti-Narcotics Office) had been tracking Félix Bingui, alias the Cat, for several months. He had fled to Morocco a few months ago and was the subject of an arrest warrant from a Marseille investigating judge for “importation of narcotics in an organized gang, transport, detention, acquisition, transfer of narcotics, criminal association (…), money laundering and failure to justify resources,” according to the prosecutor’s press release.
The 33-year-old man is known for criminal conspiracy, murder, settling scores between criminals and death threats. His clan, Yoda, had been in conflict with the DZ Mafia for over a year. The two gangs maintained this turf war around the La Paternelle district, which had become the epicenter of intense violence. Yoda and the DZ Mafia are considered responsible for at least 49 murders in 2023 alone. In recent months, nineteen “highly wanted individuals” for their role within the clan or in drug trafficking in Marseille were arrested, according to the Bouches-du-Rhône police headquarters.