Marseille - Procès de Félix Bingui, "Le Chat", chef présumé du clan Yoda

The trial of Félix Bingui, nicknamed "The Cat," the alleged head of the Yoda clan, opened on Monday, May 18, 2026, before the 7th chamber of the Marseille criminal court, under heightened security. The 35-year-old defendant is appearing alongside 19 co-defendants on charges of organized drug trafficking, criminal conspiracy, and money laundering. He faces up to twenty years in prison. Presented by the prosecution as the central figure of Marseille's drug trafficking network, Félix Bingui is suspected of having run several drug dealing spots in the northern districts of Marseille between 2021 and 2023, primarily the La Fontaine spot, located at the entrance to the Paternelle housing project in the 14th arrondissement. This drug dealing location was then considered one of the most lucrative in the city. The Yoda clan, named after the Star Wars character, clashed with the DZ Mafia in 2023 in a turf war that, according to investigators, resulted in 49 drug homicides that year, 35 of which were directly linked to the rivalry, as well as dozens of injuries. Arrested in Casablanca, Morocco, in March 2024 after a months-long manhunt, Félix Bingui was extradited to France in January 2025. During the extradition, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin described him as one of France's biggest drug traffickers. The defendant, incarcerated in the high-security prison of Vendin-le-Vieil in the Pas-de-Calais region, appeared in court with a shaved head, wearing a dark sweatshirt, and initially only stated his name. He is one of three defendants appearing in court in custody, while fourteen other defendants, including two women, are appearing under judicial supervision. Two of the accused are fugitives. At the start of the hearing, Félix Bingui's lawyer, Philippe Ohayon, filed a request for further investigation, demanding the questioning of three police officers indicted in the Trident case, which concerns alleged misconduct by the Anti-Narcotics Office in Marseille. According to the defense, these investigators are responsible for the majority of the investigative actions in the case, including wiretaps conducted outside of legal channels. The court decided to combine this request with the main proceedings, rejecting the immediate hearing. Mr. Ohayon also contests the leadership role attributed to his client and asserts that the wiretaps do not establish that he was the head of the trafficking operation. Félix Bingui, who has thirteen entries on his criminal record, denies all the accusations. The trial of the Yoda clan, held under extremely tight security with a reinforced police presence inside and around the Marseille courthouse, is scheduled to last until Friday, June 5, 2026. This hearing, considered one of the landmark cases in the fight against drug trafficking in Marseille, is expected to trace the rise and fall of the Yoda clan in its relationship with the DZ Mafia, within a context of strengthened international judicial cooperation. Subscribe to follow all the news filmed on the ground without commentary: https://youtube.com/clpress?sub_confi... #FelixBingui #LeChat #ClanYoda #Marseille #DrugTrafficking #BinguiTrial #DZMafia #Paternelle #LaFontaine #NorthernDistricts #DrugBanditism #drugs #drugtrafficking #NarcoticsTrafficking #Justice #organizedcrime #Narcotics #BouchesduRhône #News #Information #CLPRESS 📲 More on-the-ground news footage: ▶️ Twitter:   / clpressfr   ▶️ Facebook:   / clementlanot   ▶️ YouTube:    / clpress   ▶️ TikTok:   / clpress   ▶️ Instagram:   / clpress   ▶️ Website: https://clpress.fr/ ▶️ Email: [email protected] Follow Clément Lanot ▶️ Twitter:   / clementlanot   ▶️ YouTube:    / clementlanot   ▶️ TikTok:   / clementlanot   ▶️ Instagram:   / clementlanot   ALL COMMERCIAL OR NON-COMMERCIAL USES ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION. ALL COMMERCIAL OR NON-COMMERCIAL USES ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION.