France: Mayor evacuated from home after threats from the criminal group DZ Mafia

The mayor of the small French town of Alès (south), Christophe Rivenq, under police protection after threats from the criminal group DZ Mafia, was evacuated from his home on Monday evening after a new threat, a source close to the case confirmed on Tuesday, corroborating information from Le Parisien.

On Monday evening, enhanced protection measures for the mayor were taken at the request of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, the ministry told AFP.

The mayor received two 9mm bullets in an envelope on Thursday, bearing the signature of the DZ Mafia, which dominates drug trafficking in Marseille (southern France). Threatening graffiti was also found on the walls of his house's fence.

Neither the mayor of Alès nor the prosecutor of the city in the Gard region responded to requests from AFP on Tuesday.

When questioned by AFP about last week's intimidation, Mr. Rivenq said he had "never received threats of this level" and considered that they showed that "the actions we are taking against the DZ and drug trafficking are bearing fruit".

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez stated on Monday that he was "taking the threats against the elected official very seriously," deeming it "very likely" that they did indeed originate from the DZ Mafia. He added that Alès is "a highly coveted territory" for this group.

Protection for the mayor had been put in place, notably via an alert button allowing him to notify the security forces if needed.

Since the summer of 2025, the DZ Mafia has burst onto the scene in Alès, located more than 150 km from Marseille, where it is trying, as elsewhere, to supplant local networks.

On June 3, an 18-year-old was shot dead in a neighborhood near the city center, where in mid-January a 54-year-old man had already been shot dead and a man in his thirties wounded, near a drug dealing spot.

In October 2025, a 22-year-old man from Alès was shot dead in a parking lot at the city's entrance, in what appeared to be a settling of scores. Three men were charged in the case and "may have acted on behalf of the DZ mafia," a source close to the investigation told AFP.