France welcomes Algeria’s arrest of alleged DZ Mafia crime boss

Police in Algeria arrested Mehdi Laribi at the end of July under a French warrant, French broadcaster Franceinfo reported.

The French-Algerian national, who has lived in Algeria for several years, has been placed under judicial supervision, a judicial source told AFP.

“A key target of the French judicial authorities in the fight against drugs and organised crime has been arrested in Algeria,” Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on social media.

“We would like to thank the Algerian authorities for this breakthrough and for their cooperation with the National Public Prosecutor's Office for Organised Crime and the Marseille Public Prosecutor's Office.”

Subject of an arrest warrant

Laribi was the subject of an arrest warrant issued as part of an investigation codenamed “Octopus”, led by the Marseille inter-regional specialised court.

The investigation resulted in a major police operation in southern France in March involving around 900 officers. Forty people were arrested and 26 charged, including two alleged leaders of the DZ Mafia.

In May, Darmanin visited Algiers for talks with his counterpart, Lotfi Boudjemaa, on strengthening cooperation against organised crime.

The trip formed part of efforts to improve relations, which deteriorated sharply in 2024 after France backed an autonomy plan “under Moroccan sovereignty” for the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

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Algeria immediately recalled its ambassador to France following the announcement.

Tensions worsened further after the arrest in Algiers in November 2024 of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal. He was pardoned by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in November 2025.

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Suspects believed to be in Algeria

French judicial authorities have submitted around 10 mutual legal assistance requests concerning suspected DZ Mafia leaders believed to be in Algeria, which does not extradite its nationals.

During a visit to Marseille last November with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, Darmanin said the threat posed by drug trafficking was at least equivalent to that of terrorism.

He made the comments after meeting senior prosecutors and security officials from the Bouches-du-Rhône department to discuss the city's drug networks, including the DZ Mafia.

“What is happening with the DZ Mafia affects at least a dozen other departments, especially in the south of France,” Darmanin said after the meeting.

(with newswires)