Saint-Ouen Shootings: Life Sentences Sought in “Malsain” Drug Network Trial

Sentences ranging from 25 years in criminal imprisonment to life imprisonment were sought this Monday, February 23, before the Seine-Saint-Denis assize court. The prosecution’s submissions target those responsible for a double murder and a shooting that rocked the city of Saint-Ouen in autumn 2020, against a backdrop of a territorial war.

On Bladi.net : Saint-Ouen Narcobanditry Trial: Malsain, Morocco and the Drug War

According to information from Paris Match, the central figure in the case, El Mehdi Zouhairi, is the major absentee from this trial. Presented as the head of the network in the “Boutes” housing estate, this 35-year-old man is currently on the run abroad, with authorities locating him in Morocco.

The prosecution maintains that the suspect ordered these deadly operations from Moroccan territory. This decision to act remotely allegedly followed the “betrayal” of a former associate who joined the competition, prompting the mastermind to seek greater control over strategic drug-dealing locations.

A bloody rivalry for control of drug trafficking

Among the defendants in the dock are two 33-year-old twins, Samuel and Jérémy Y., described as the attacks’ coordinators. Despite provocative behavior and repeated refusals to cooperate with the justice system during the hearings, they heard the public prosecutor seek life imprisonment against them.

These lieutenants allegedly commissioned accomplices to retake control of the Soubise housing estate sector by force, resulting in the deaths of two young men. A second shooting, which took place on rue Ampère, targeted the heirs of a rival killed in 2019, thereby consolidating the criminal organization’s influence.

On Bladi.net : Morocco Drug War: French Court Examines Alleged Murder Contracts

While only one of the accomplices has admitted taking part in the events, the other members of the group firmly deny any involvement. The nine defense lawyers are now due to take turns before the court on Tuesday and Wednesday for their closing arguments, before the verdict is delivered.