French Minister Warns of ‘Narco-Enclaves’ After Gang Shootout in Poitiers

French Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau (R), surrounded by journalists, reacts next to a resident during a visit focused on drug trafficking in Rennes, France, on Nov. 1, 2024. (Photo by Damien MEYER / AFP) Photo by DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images

Following a deadly gang-related shootout in Poitiers, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has warned that the emergence of “narco-enclaves” poses a threat to France.

On Nov. 1, hundreds of people were involved in suspected drug-related violence in the western French city of Poitiers.

France24 reported that a 15-year-old boy died from a bullet to the head.

“It started off with a shooting at a restaurant. It ended up with a clash between rival gangs, which involved several hundred people,” French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told BFM TV on Nov. 1, adding that it was linked to rival drug gangs.

‘Narco-Enclaves’

The minister said that between “400 and 600 people were involved” and used the term “Mexicanization” to describe the potential for crime-driven “narco-enclaves” to emerge in French cities and rural areas.

“Either there is a general mobilization, or there is the Mexicanization of the country,” Retailleau told reporters on Nov. 1.

“I can well see, on French territory, enclaves, mini-states, narco-enclaves that are being formed.”

The warning follows a similar incident in Rennes, where a recent shooting seriously injured a 5-year-old boy, who was shot whilst in his father’s car.

“These shootings are not happening in South America, they are happening in Rennes, in Poitiers, in this part of western France once known for its tranquillity,” Retailleau told broadcaster BFMTV on Nov. 1. 

Retailleau vowed tougher action against drug gangs and illegal immigration.

Cartels

In May, French politicians issued a report revealing the extent of drug gang corruption in France.

After six months of investigation, the Senate commission of inquiry said that the effect of drug trafficking on France has exploded over the past decade.

“Our country is now facing a real inundation; the phenomenon affects the entire territory, including medium-sized cities and rural areas,” it said.

“Despite the unwavering commitment of law enforcement and the judicial system, narcotics, even the ‘hardest’ ones, are now available all the time and everywhere, whether sold at one of the 3,000 dealing points across the country or ordered through encrypted messaging and discreetly delivered to homes.”

The report said that the “intensification of trafficking in rural areas and mid-sized cities” has been “accompanied by a particularly spectacular and alarming surge in violence, at times subjecting citizens to scenes resembling actual warfare.”

The Senate commission said it was also “alarmed” by the emergence of corruption in the public and private sector.

“While the situation remains far from the corruption seen in some European or South American countries, it is clear that criminal organizations are employing corruption to achieve their aims,” it said.

Immigration

Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party, which received about 33.15 percent of the vote in a snap election on June 9—resulting in a hung parliament—has said it will take more decisive action than other parties to address issues of crime and illegal immigration, despite being blocked from governing.

On Nov. 1, the party said that its plans to facilitate the “expulsion of foreign delinquents and criminals” were rejected by the French Parliament.

Retailleau, who is hoping to curtail the rise of the RN, announced in September plans that would see France employ tougher immigration and security measures.

Speaking to TF1 television, Retailleau said he would summon prefects—regional representatives of the interior ministry—from the 10 regions with the highest immigration numbers to tell them “to expel more, to regularise less.”

He also pledged to consult with North African nations about having them stop more undocumented migrants from heading to France and said he wanted harsher prison sentences for lawbreakers.

“To close Islamist mosques or expel hate preachers [in France], my hand will not tremble,” he told Le Figaro.

Reuters contributed to this report.