Marseilles drug police scandal has echoes of ‘French Connection' era
When the container ship OPS Hamburg docked in Marseilles on a morning in April 2023, officers from France's elite anti-drug force were lying in wait. They were sure their cunning sting would net one of Europe's biggest narco-traffickers.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration had told them that buried in a container of bananas arriving from Cartagena, Colombia, there was a massive shipment of cocaine. It had been ordered by Mohamed Djeha, alias Mimo, the feared boss of Marseilles' Castellane clan.
The Marseilles bureau of Ofast, the police agency created in 2020 to spearhead President Macron's war on drugs, had spent weeks setting up Operation Trident with gang informers and infiltration by undercover officers.
The plan quickly unravelled. Tipped off, Mimo's men stayed away and the police found themselves guardians of 400kg of cocaine stashed in a heavily surveilled Mercedes truck in an open lorry park.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Oldham FINALLY break silence on their yob striker who knocked woman out with a chair in shocking Ibiza poolside brawl
Oldham Athletic have said they will undertake a 'thorough investigation' after yob striker Kian Harratt was filmed hurling a plastic chair that hit a middle-aged woman in the face in a shocking Ibiza poolside brawl. Harratt, 23, accused the woman of going down 'easily' as she tried to break up a scrap between his friends and another group of British holidaymakers but admitted he felt 'terrible' and 'very apologetic' after 'accidentally hitting' her. The woman collapses to the ground holding her face after being hit while the other group fall into the pool and topless Harratt, exclusively identified by MailOnline, retreats out of shot. The forward, who scored the winning goal at Wembley to secure Oldham's place in League 2 just three weeks ago, has since claimed the fracas was started by a '6'6 bully built like a brick' who punched his friend. He also shared a video on TikTok which appeared to show his friend being punched in the face. Harratt admitted he was 'very apologetic and 'felt terrible' after hitting the woman with the chair but said he would have felt 'even worse' if he allowed his mate to 'get badly beaten up while he's trying to enjoy his holiday'. Oldham Athletic striker Kian Harratt (black shorts, circled) appears to throw a chair at a woman in a video recently shared to social media 🪑😳 — The92Bible (@The92Bible) June 25, 2025 Oldham, who he only signed for in March, have now revealed that a 'thorough investigation' will be carried out. A club spokesperson told the BBC it 'strongly condemns violence of any kind'. 'Until the outcome of that investigation there will be no further comment,' they added. Oldham's comments come after a bizarre statement from the hotel where the fight took place. Vibra Hotels, which runs the Marco Polo Hotel in San Antonio, peculiarly claimed that 'no chairs were thrown at guests', while admitting it was a 'shame' its staff had to deal with the fight A spokesperson told the Oldham Times: 'The fight in the pool lasted less than three minutes since our corporate security at the hotel acted immediately.' Despite video footage of the chair being hurled, they added: 'No chairs were thrown at any guests; the lady got in the middle, it seems that with the intention to stop the fight. 'The lady was asked by our security members if she wanted to report to the police and file a complaint, but she said she was okay and she did not want to, that she just slipped and she was fine, and she thanked our security members. 'It took less than three minutes for the incident to end since our security acted quickly, and as soon as they acted, the fighters left the pool area. @ Just for the people who have seen the video circling the internet off me throwing a chair 'FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON' 👍🏻 here's the fella who started it all and let me just say he was the worst man you could ever come across and a bully! He was 6,6 and built like a brick! Anyways he was swimming over to young couples while there at chilling and trying to make the lad feel uncomfortable flirting with there girls and all sorts off daft stuff like that! And one off my mates who is only 18 by the way jumped in the pool and started splashing him having a laugh like you do on holiday then it's stopped! After that my mate got out off the pool and the big fella shouted over to him wtf are you looking at so obviously my mates said to him I'm looking at you the fella as then flipped and started walking to my mate and the woman who gets his with the chair is in this video here trying to stop him my pal then goes dancing over to him not expecting the man to punch him…but anyways he hit my pal in the face and dropped him and then proceeded to kick him in the face while he was down👌🏻 the video cut off tho after that obviously like any normal mates would do we've backed him up I tried staying out the way as I don't want the trouble a chair then got lobbed towards me so I picked the chair up and threw it back and it accidentally hit the woman who as you can see went down abit easy but besides that I was very apologetic and I felt terrible, but I'd have felt even worse if we left my mate to get badly beaten up while he's trying to enjoy his holiday I hope this video opens peoples eyes I had to post it cause I've had nothing but abuse all morning and I'm sure this will clear it or so it should 👍🏻 #fyp ♬ original sound - 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗧𝘃 - 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗧𝘃 Footage initially emerged of the quarrel over the weekend without Harratt being identified 'It really is a shame for us and for our teams to have to deal with this kind of issue, especially when people are supposed to come on holiday to enjoy and have fun, and not to act in other ways.' Meanwhile, on Thursday, Harrat released his own statement after mounting pressure. Harrat claimed his group had merely been involved in the brawl after responding to a 'big bully'. But that man Brandon Watkins, 31, hit back at Harratt's claim that he started it, saying: 'I'm 6ft 4 for a start and I'm not a bully.' Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Brandon insisted the player 'provoked' his friends and their whole group were 'looking for a fight' when they arrived at the Marco Polo Hotel in San Antonio on Saturday afternoon. He said: 'The fight happened on day five of our holiday. We'd been around that pool every day and getting on with everybody and making friends with people. 'These guys turned up and started throwing balls about. 'Several people were saying they're going to be trouble even before it kicked off. 'At one point one of his mates got in the pool next to me and just started aggressively splashing me. One of them said what are you looking at? 'They were just being a nightmare. One lad was winding us up. Kian was sat right next to him and if anything Kian was provoking him. 'Next thing I knew Kian picked up a chair and threw it. 'I got the impression he was intoxicated, they were sat near the bar before and if they were sober they wouldn't have acted like that. 'After the brawl happened people were buying us drinks and congratulating us, that's how bad this group were. 'It's just outrageous for a footballer to behave like he did.' The viral video shows Brandon's group clashing with Harratt's friends before the unnamed woman tried to intervene and was hit by a chair. Several men including Brandon fell into the pool and another chair was thrown at them before hotel security rushed in to intervene. Brandon - who was on holiday with four school friends - stayed with the injured woman and her friends after Harratt's group were kicked out of the hotel and later helped her back to her room because she had broken her toe in the fall. Brandon's version is also backed up by a close friend of the woman who was hit by the chair. The friend - who was sunbathing by the pool when the brawl kicked off - said: 'It was carnage, I've never seen anything like it in my life. My friend was injured. They were all just shouting and swearing at each other. 'She's an absolute angel and such a good person which is why she got involved - she saw people were arguing and she just went over to stop it. 'But when she did Kian spoke to her like she was a piece of s*** and Brandon stepped in out of respect and said don't speak to a woman like that. Brandon threw the first punch then all Kian's friends got involved.' Following the scrap, Harratt said he felt 'terrible' but that the woman went down 'easily'. The friend added: 'That's no apology, he has no remorse whatsoever. Him and his mates were kicked out of the hotel without apologising, he's only sorry because he has been identified. 'My friend is really embarrassed by the whole thing, it was a horrible experience made worse as people who have seen the video have been trolling her online. 'He's a professional footballer, a lot of kids look up to him and it's not a good reflection on his club.' The striker scored the winning goal as Oldham won the National League play-off final on June 1 Harratt, who has also played for Huddersfield Town and Fleetwood Town, alleged that tension had risen after his eighteen-year-old friend splashed Watkins, who he claimed had made people at the pool feel uncomfortable. The brawl comes just three weeks after Harratt fired Oldham to Wembley glory, scoring the winning goal in extra-time of their 3-2 victory over Southend United to earn a League 2 spot next season. After the video was shared online on Sunday it was reposted by the footballer who also shared various snaps of himself on holiday on the Spanish island. On Thursday, posting on TikTok, Harratt wrote: 'Just for the people who have seen the video circling the internet of me throwing a chair 'FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON' 'Here's the fella who started it all and let me just say he was the worst man you could ever come across and a bully! 'He was 6,6 and built like a brick! Anyway he was swimming over to young couples while they're all chilling and trying to make the lad feel uncomfortable flirting with there girls and all sorts of daft stuff like that! 'And one of my mates who is only 18 by the way jumped in the pool and started splashing him having a laugh like you do on holiday then it's stopped! 'After that my mate got out off the pool and the big fella shouted over to him wtf are you looking at so obviously my mates said to him I'm looking at you the fella has then flipped and started walking to my mate and the woman who gets hit with the chair is in this video here trying to stop him my pal then goes dancing over to him not expecting the man to punch him. 'But anyways he hit my pal in the face and dropped him. He has previously been banned from football for betting on games and fined for poaching 'The video cut off though after that obviously like any normal mates would do we've backed him up I tried staying out the way as I don't want the trouble a chair then got lobbed towards me so I picked the chair up and threw it back and it accidentally hit the woman who as you can see went down a bit easy but besides that I was very apologetic and I felt terrible. 'But I'd have felt even worse if we left my mate to get badly beaten up while he's trying to enjoy his holiday I hope this video opens peoples eyes I had to post it cause I've had nothing but abuse all morning and I'm sure this will clear it or so it should.' It's not Harratt's first brush with controversy. Last year while on loan at Fleetwood from Huddersfield he was fined £1,000 by police after he was caught poaching in North Yorkshire. Police were called just before midnight on February 6 to investigate a vehicle being driven suspiciously around Whashton, near Richmond. A short while later Harratt, from Pontefract, and Daniel Luke Dimmock, 34, from Castleford were found carrying large black lamps, and with lurcher-type dogs on slip leads, police said. The men were searched, and their lamps and vehicle seized. Whistleblowers, brought to you by the Mail and Wickes TradePro, is football's most original new podcast, lifting the lid on the parts of the game no one else talks about Podcast All episodes Play on Apple Spotify They were found guilty of entering land as a trespasser at night with poaching equipment at Harrogate Magistrates Court on December 19 and fined £1,153 each, and ordered to pay hundreds of pounds more in costs and surcharges, according to police. He was also convicted of poaching at a farm in East Yorkshire in 2022 and fined £830, plus £233 costs. Also, Harratt was banned from football for four months in the 2023-24 season while at Huddersfield after placing 484 bets on matches over a three-year period. That came with a £3,200 fine and 36 of the bets were on Huddersfield games - though he insisted he was not in the matchday squad for any of them.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Humiliation for Putin as £37m jets destroyed in strike before vengeful tyrant kills two in blitz on Ukraine tower block
UKRAINE has successfully blitzed a pair of Russia's prized Su-34 fighter jets - costing a humiliated Vladimir Putin £74million. Russia's despot hit back with a terrifying revenge strike which killed a married couple in a deadly attack on a Ukrainian tower block. 6 6 The twisted tyrant decimated a 21-storey residential block in Odesa and left it up in flames as 14 others, including a child as young as 3, were rescued and rushed to hospital. Two other children were also among the wounded in the overnight attack, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said. Russia has drastically increased its drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks amid growing issues around securing a lasting ceasefire. Kyiv has continued to defend themselves valiantly against enemy attacks with them landing a humiliating blow to the Kremlin. They launched a tactical drone attack on Russia's Marinovka military airfield in the Volgograd region in Friday. Ukraine used long range drones to fly 200 miles to inflict millions of pounds worth of damage to Putin's aerial firepower. The blitz targeted a set of four Su-34 fighter jets which are each worth a reported £37million. Furious Russian military analysts confirmed that two of the Su-34 multi-role fighters used on the frontline for bombing missions against Ukraine were destroyed. The two others also suffered damage. Pro-war Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber raged that the hit 'could and should have been prevented'. Bodies pulled from under rubble after Vladimir Putin bombs Kyiv killing 28 as EU chief says 'fight or learn Russian' The channel expressed fury at the 'multi-billion dollar' losses Putin's forces are suffering each week to their military arsenal. Ukraine's SBU security service also commented on the successful strikes as they said: 'The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces and the SBU used long-range drones to attack Russian fighter jets. 'The attack also caused a fire in the technical and operational part of the enemy airfield, which is a critical infrastructure for a military facility. 'This is where the enemy prepares aircraft for flights, carries out their routine maintenance and repair work.' It came less than a month after Russia supposedly tightened its military air base security after 40-plus strategic bombers and spy planes were hit in Kyiv's audacious Operation Spiderweb. In Operation Spiderweb - one of the most stunning attacks of the war - drones were launched from trucks positioned close to at least four Russian airfields. It crippled much of Putin's doomsday bomber flee with 41 of his most prized aircraft lying in smouldering wrecks on tarmac. Ukraine said the sneak attack was worth $7bn (£5.2bn) in damage to Russia - caused by only 117 cheaply made drones. 6 6 Putin has launched countless revenge strikes since he was embarrassed by the attack. Last week, he unleashed the deadliest Russian strike on Kyiv in 2025 as 28 people were killed in airstrikes. Russia blasted 27 locations in Kyiv, with 440 drones and 32 missiles hammering the city for nine hours, according to Ukrainian officials. Buildings and critical infrastructure facilities were damaged. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it 'one of the most terrible strikes on Kyiv'. Days earlier, Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv was bombarded with 48 kamikaze drones, missiles and guided bombs. The assault killed three people and injured 21. Inside Russia's faltering war By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter THE Russian invasion of Ukraine has been advancing at an incredibly slow pace - with Kyiv's "dronegrinder" warfare miring Putin's summer offensive. The rate at which Moscow is capturing land has been dubbed "slower than a snail" - all while the human cost of Russian casualties is sky high. After 448 days of fighting inside Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, the Russians reportedly only managed to take control of 50 per cent of the city. Which means the troops, on average, are only able to take 0.00629 square miles of land per day - which is a painfully low conversion rate. Even snails, which have a speed of 0.03 miles per hour, can cover more land than what the Russians have gained in the region. Meanwhile, Kyiv has ramped up its defences as it seeks to thwart Vladimir Putin's final killer summer offensive, which military analysts say could start as early as July. Ukraine's fierce resistance forced Russian troops to stop in the Sumy region's border area, Kyiv's military Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky revealed. The military boss said that the Ukrainian armed forces managed to tie down a 50,000-strong force and stabilise the frontlines "as of this week". But, some 125,000 Russian soldiers are reportedly now massing along the Sumy and Kharkiv frontiers, according to Ukraine's military intelligence. Ukrainians have tasked a special defence group to strengthen fortifications near the frontlines, build anti-drone corridors and 'kill zones' It comes amid fears that Vladimir Putin may launch a fresh summer offensive to try and take as much land as he can before agreeing to a ceasefire. 6
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
London Gateway cocaine worth £96m seized in 'one of largest' busts
Cocaine with a street value of almost £100m has been seized by Border Force officers in "one of the largest drugs busts of the past decade".The shipment was intercepted earlier this month on a container vessel arriving at London Gateway port from Force officials and staff at the port in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, had to move 37 large containers to locate the 2.4-tonne an estimated £96m, it was the sixth largest cocaine seizure since records began, the Home Office said. Specialist maritime officers intercepted the drugs after an "intelligence-led operation".Border Force said in a statement: "The interception strikes a significant financial and operational blow against the organised crime groups behind its importation and is an example of an intelligence driven outcome to disrupt criminal supply chains."Charlie Eastaugh, the organisation's maritime director, said: "This seizure - one of the largest of its kind - is just one example of how dedicated Border Force maritime officers remain one step ahead of the criminal gangs who threaten our security."Our message to these criminals is clear. More than ever before, we are using intelligence and international law enforcement co-operation to disrupt and dismantle your operations."He added there were also training programmes across Latin America to help prevent the drugs entering British shores. Government minister Seema Malhotra, said: "Drugs gangs trying to import illegal substances into the UK are a blight on society and we will leave no stone left unturned in our pursuit of organised crime gangs inflicting addiction, misery and death upon Britain's communities." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
