Aix-en-Provence (AFP) – DNA, telephone, marked vehicle and even confessions... Faced with the accumulation of elements designating him as the author of a triple narchomicide near Marseille, Amine Oualane, alleged leader of the DZ Mafia, did not waver, continuing to deny everything from the courtroom.

Published on: 06/11/2026 - 18:16

Faced with the magistrates who are judging him alongside four other defendants, Amine Oualane, 32, answered each question on Friday, brushing aside the accusations brought against him in this emblematic case of the ultraviolence linked to drug trafficking in Marseille.

After two weeks of trial in Aix-en-Provence, one of his co-defendants, Zakaria Bensaci, created a surprise this week by confidently naming him as "the shooter" having murdered, in December 2020, three young men involved in trafficking, including the older brother of Marseille elected official Amine Kessaci, engaged alongside the victims of drug banditry.

“I'm not Batman to kill three guys”, in a few seconds, reacted Mr. Oualane, slender figure, hair in a ponytail. In turn, he accuses Zakaria Bensaci of having "killed Nassim Loubani", one of the victims, whose body was dismembered.

For the two other victims, Brahim Chabane, older brother of Amine Kessaci, and Réda Khaldi, he blames "a guy from Frais-Vallon", a city in the northern districts, as well as another man indicted in the case, since found dead, against the backdrop of a turf war.

Mr. Oualane's denials leave the bench of civil parties perplexed, including Amine Kessaci, who has not missed a single day of hearing since October 19.

“There has been a lot of talk about revelations in recent days. What was revealed was not a secret, except that one of the accused decided to break the silence,” declared the young deputy mayor of Marseille as he left the room.

“I will never be silent”

The hearing was once again marked by numerous outbursts, which forced the president of the court to call the various parties to order. A defense lawyer even asked Amine Kessaci to stop “staring” at him in a threatening manner.

“I will never be silent”, “I will never lower my eyes or my gaze”, launched the 23-year-old activist.

“During this trial, I tried to do something: also re-establish a form of justice, that of the place of the civil parties. In these trials, in these assizes, they clearly do not have to be afraid, nor to lower their eyes, nor to lower their gaze,” continued the Marseille elected official.

Opposite, Amine Oualane doesn't blink either. Asked to explain the presence of his DNA and that of a victim on a straw, he replied that it dates from a trip to a fast food restaurant.

His presence at the crime scene, where his car was found, is also denied. Amine Oualane claims to have "rendered a service" by lending his vehicle to Mr. Bensaci so that he could give a car key to Réda Khaldi "because the rental company cannot extend their vehicle".

“You have a new version,” counters the president.

Busted calendar

Amine Oualane, with a long criminal record, says he learned of the deaths of Reda Khaldi and Brahim Chabane, "his friends", "the next day on Snap", being found that evening with his mistress. “The truth from the streets moves faster than the judicial truth,” he explains.

Asked about his relationship with Brahim Chabane, Amine Kessaci's big brother, he confides that they "did about ten stupid things together". “He wasn’t a bad guy, he’s calm, collected,” he adds, while Ouassila Benhmadi-Kessaci, the victim’s mother, stares at him with a dark look.

The trial schedule, scheduled to last three weeks, was disrupted by the social movement forcing the heavy security system to adapt. The verdict, initially scheduled for this Friday, should not come before November 13, which is the anniversary of the assassination, in 2025, of Amine Kessaci's little brother, a stranger to drug trafficking and shot dead in broad daylight in Marseille.

© 2026 AFP

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