Our “Social Media and Crime” series
Jordan, “drug trafficking proletarian”, recruited on Snapchat
Anne-Sophie Lapix’s sausage makers obeyed “Bin Laden” on Signal
“For a few thousand euros, you can find a killer without limits”
An assassination in Marseille and celebrity burglaries orchestrated via apps
In the merciless world of organized crime, Uberization reaches unprecedented limits. For several months in the Paris region, police officers and magistrates have observed that drug dealers and thieves are now recruiting their workforce on social networks. “These young people are subject to the screen effect and the trivialization of evil. Without a criminal record and totally disconnected from reality, they are ready to do anything, including engaging in a crazy project, such as committing an assassination for a few thousand euros,” warns a specialized Parisian magistrate.
It's the story of Anatole
(first name has been changed)
who got lost in a world beyond him. At 17, this high school student with a clean criminal record who lives with his mother in the Paris suburbs, agreed to cross all of France to take part in a settling of scores in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône). In June, this good student decided to respond to an ad on the Telegram network posted by “the Marignane clan”. “He lives in a working-class neighborhood but it’s far from the worst,” explains a source close to the case. This team of dealers from the Marseille city offers a sum of 10,000 euros to eliminate a competitor.