Gangs Clashed in Lyon Metropolis

For several months, gangs linked to drug trafficking have been clashing in the Lyon metropolis. Commando units from South America are said to be involved in these settling of scores. Police unions are asking for reinforcements from the State.

Cars burned, shootings, murders… The gang war seems to be escalating. In the latest events on Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3, vehicles were set on fire and the body of a man shot dead was found in one of them. The police union Alliance is requesting human resources that match the situation to intensify the investigations.

A weekend marked by new criminal acts in the metropolis: on Saturday, May 2, several vehicles were set on fire in a parking lot on Avenue de Bel-Air in Villeurbanne. Inside one of them, the body of a man shot multiple times was found burnt. Gunfire shots woke up the whole neighborhood during the night. The investigation has been entrusted to the Division of Organized and Specialized Crime (DCOS) of Rhône.

The next morning, Sunday, May 3, a car was set on fire and the facade of a house was charred in Ecully. According to Lyon Mag, the fire targeted the residence of the sister of the suspected drug trafficker named “Fiston,” from the Duchère neighborhood in Lyon, currently imprisoned in Colombia awaiting extradition to France. This appears to be a form of retaliation to avenge the victims of a gang opposed to “Fiston.” Close associates of this significant gang leader are now themselves threatened with death. An investigation for organized attempted homicide has been opened by the Lyon public prosecutor’s office. These acts are the latest most visible events in an almost daily war between drug-linked gangs, according to judicial sources.

This gang war extends its tendrils to Colombia, the world’s leading cocaine producer, where the suspected drug trafficker “Fiston,” wanted, was arrested and awaits imminent extradition to France. This native of Duchère, real name Karim B.A., is well known to French authorities: he is suspected of ordering settlements of scores to maintain control of the drug trafficking in Duchère. He is suspected of being behind the dispatch of Colombian commandos to Lyon to defend his interests.

In January, five Colombians were arrested in Lyon: four of them were waiting in a car in a parking lot for hours, suspected of being on stakeout before carrying out another settling of scores. They are also suspected of being involved in the shooting murder of a man in Ecully a few months earlier. In addition, a Parisian police officer was indicted and imprisoned a few weeks ago for sharing confidential information with this Colombian commando. He allegedly provided them with addresses and photos of members of the organization they are fighting, as targets to eliminate.

Reportage by Yaëlle Marie, Sandie Goldstein

Facing this unprecedented gang war, which could further escalate, the police union Alliance recently mentioned a “critical” security situation in the metropolis with the increase in shootings. In a letter to the Rhône prefecture, they denounce “an escalation of violence” and demand reinforcements: “we hear from the Interior Minister that we are at war against drug trafficking. If we are at war and want to win this war, we need an army,” states Alain Barberis, Alliance-Police Nationale secretary for the AURA region. The mayor of Villeurbanne, Cédric Von Stevendel, also called for police reinforcements.

The prefecture responded on Sunday, May 3, stating that they have taken this alert “seriously.” They assure that they are not inactive, mentioning concrete measures taken in recent days, such as the deployment of intervention companies in Villeurbanne, the mobilization of CRS in Décines-Charpieu, and enhanced control operations in the field. They promise to “respond firmly” to the challenges related to criminality in the metropolis.