Chase, kidnapping and charred body: wave of arrests after the murder of the head of the “Jefe Mafia” in Lyon

This is an important step forward in one of the most high-profile issues in Lyon drug trafficking. Seven suspects were arrested this Monday in Lyon as part of the investigation into the murder of Jessim L., self-proclaimed leader of the episodic Jefe Mafia, according to information from Le Progrès confirmed to Le Figaro by the Lyon prosecutor's office. Four of them were indicted for organized gang murder.

This ultraviolent murder had left its mark in Lyon at the beginning of March, at a time when narchomicides were increasing in the city. Jessim L, 26, had made himself known a few weeks earlier with his “Jefe Mafia” by broadcasting images of doormats on social networks, these doorstep fires having the value of intimidation or warning in the community.

Skip the ad

Chase on the ring road and charred body

It was also online that a sequence was broadcast showing a chase on the Lyon ring road during which a black car was hit by another vehicle. Chased, an occupant fled, jumping from a bridge. Caught by his pursuers, Jessim L., well known to the police, was locked in a trunk before being kidnapped. His charred body was discovered in a neighboring town while a message announcing his death was sent to the local press.

Also read “Intimidations, hamstrings, settling of scores”: how the drug traffickers’ war won Lyon

“The investigations are continuing under the authority of the investigating judge,” the Lyon prosecutor’s office said today, indicating that three of those indicted were placed in pre-trial detention and the last under judicial supervision. Le Progrès indicates that they were arrested in the United States neighborhood and admitted limited participation in the events, of a logistical nature. Several other suspects are said to be on the run, some of them abroad.