Spike In Marseille Drug Violence Kills 24 So Far In 2016

MARSEILLE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -6th Sept,2016) : A shootout in Marseille that claimed two lives has brought the death toll in drug-related violence in the southern French city to 24 so far this year, according to an AFP tally.

Two men were shot dead in a bar in the centre of the port city late on Monday in an apparent settling of scores, police said.

One of the dead men, 41-year-old Patrick Esposito, was known to police, but the other victim was a barman who had no criminal links, Marseille prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux said.

Murders linked to illicit drug dealing in the Marseille area totalled 19 last year but this summer has been especially deadly, with 10 people killed since August 7. Police admit they are almost powerless to prevent the drug murders. "These settling of scores are very hard to prevent," an official of the police union Alliance said last week. "They can happen anywhere, any time."