In Marseille, a concerning practice has emerged among drug trafficking networks: the traffickers have decided to launch a real treasure hunt across the city, putting bags of cannabis carefully hidden at stake. Using the messaging app Telegram, these dealers concoct challenges where clues are published to encourage participants to locate these caches. Such an operation, which mixes playfulness and illegality, raises questions about its implications for public safety, especially for young people drawn to this offer. This practice, much more than a simple game, is part of an alarming commercial strategy and poses significant risks.
Clues scattered throughout Marseille
The concept of this treasure hunt is simple and appealing. In private groups on Telegram, dealers share clues in the form of photos and messages, guiding participants to various hiding spots of drugs located all over the city. These clues allow “players” to wander through iconic neighborhoods such as the Corniche, Cours Julien, or Longchamp park, thus reinforcing the idea of a playful quest at the heart of Marseille.
A seductive and dangerous operation
This initiative is not limited to mere distraction. The organizers present a “free” product to young people, making the celebration of this hunt even more attractive. Yet, beneath this playful veneer lie serious consequences, including exposure to dangerous products and the possibility of becoming inadvertently involved in criminal activities. Teenagers, often in search of adventures, can quickly find themselves trapped in a world where the reality of drug trafficking overshadows entertainment.
Telegram: a secure space for trafficking
The Telegram platform has established itself as a tool of choice for trafficking networks in Marseille. The encryption of conversations and private groups provide relative anonymity, thus protecting organizers and participants from potential repression. This confidentiality has, moreover, sparked tensions between French authorities and the app’s founder, Pavel Durov, whose lack of cooperation with law enforcement has been criticized. The security framework provided by Telegram significantly complicates the work of investigators engaged in the fight against drug trafficking.
An absent response from the authorities
In the face of this illegal operation, the responsiveness of the Marseille authorities and the Police Prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône seems limited. Although aware of this phenomenon, official bodies avoid commenting individually on this disturbing event. Law enforcement, active in the fields of cybercrime and drug trafficking, continues to monitor the situation, attempting to counter these new forms of delinquency that are emerging in the city.
The treasure hunt organized by drug traffickers in Marseille illustrates the growing complexity of the drug trafficking phenomenon in open and popular spaces. This new mode of operation, both playful and insidious, exploits the youth and draws attention to public health and safety issues. Aligning modern technology with illegal practices, dealers manage to create a troubling dynamic capable of seducing a vulnerable population. The response from the authorities remains to be defined, and the fight against these criminal activities seems to still be in its infancy, insufficient in the face of the ingenuity of traffickers. Far from being a mere amusement, these treasure hunts glorify drug consumption and highlight the urgency of a collective mobilization against this drift. Marseille, with its unique challenges, stands at a crossroads, where issues of security and public health must be prioritized to protect the youth from a seductive but dangerous offer. Vigilance and intervention from the authorities can make a difference, but collective awareness is equally necessary to prevent this trend from becoming entrenched in local culture.
