So far this year, the French city of Marseille has recorded 45 drug-related murders, marking one of the worst annual totals on record. Authorities say the violence is intensifying and becoming more unpredictable, as younger people are increasingly drawn into the drug trade’s most dangerous roles.
Authorities warn that both victims and perpetrators are getting younger, reflecting deeper social and economic pressures. According to France’s Ministry of Justice, the number of teenagers involved in the drug trade has more than quadrupled in the past eight years, underscoring a troubling shift that law enforcement and local organizations are racing to confront.
For many people around the world, there is no other option. Gang life is the only choice that makes sense to get anywhere in life in certain war-torn, politically unstable, and economically desolate countries. Many of these countries have battled the existence of gang life and the violence that follows them.
Click through the gallery to find out which countries have been most affected by these criminal groups.