Speaking to reporters, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the teenager was murdered on Wednesday, describing the case as one of “unprecedented savagery”.

Marseille, France’s second largest city but also one of its poorest, is plagued by drug-related violence.

Bessone said that victims and perpetrators of such violence were getting increasingly younger.

The city has in recent years witnessed a turf war for control of the highly profitable drug market between various clans including DZ Mafia.

The teenager had been hired by a 23-year-old prisoner to intimidate a competitor by setting fire to his door, the prosecutor said, adding he had been promised €2,000.

The teenager had however been spotted by members of a rival gang who repeatedly stabbed him then set him on fire, he added.

The same prisoner then recruited a 14-year-old minor to carry out a revenge attack and kill a member of the Blacks gang, promising to pay him €50,000.

The 14-year-old hired a 36-year-old driver who angered the minor and ended up being killed.

The two latest cases mean that the number of drug-related killings in Marseille has risen to 17 since the start of the year.

By comparison, a total of 49 people were killed in drug related violence in Marseille in 2023.