Mehdi Laribi, known under the nickname “ICT”was arrested on July 31, 2026 in Algeria, where he had taken refuge. He is one of the figures presented as founders of the Marseille criminal network DZ Mafia.
An arrest in Algeria
Aged 36, Mehdi Laribi was the subject of a French arrest warrant as part of the operation Octopuslaunched last winter, during which several founding figures of the DZ Mafia had already been arrested. After his arrest, he was placed under judicial supervision. Nicknamed “Tic” for his past as an actor, he notably played in the film “KHAMSA”released in 2008 and directed by Karim Dridi.
According to police sources cited by franceinfoLaribi would be one of the five or six founding members of the criminal group. He had left France to operate from abroad, investigators suspecting him of having found refuge in Algeria. His dual Franco-Algerian nationality offered him de facto protection, since Algeria does not extradite its nationals.
A context of reinforced judicial cooperation
This arrest comes in a climate of judicial rapprochement between Paris and Algiers. Last May, the Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin went to Algiers to relaunch judicial cooperation between the two countries, while the Minister of the Interior Laurent Nuñez described Franco-Algerian relations as good. It is in this context that the Algerian authorities executed the international arrest warrant issued against Laribi.
Reacting to the arrest on
What is the DZ Mafia?
The group is associated with drug trafficking cases and acts of violence in the Marseille region, as well as recently publicized intimidation actions, particularly around threats targeting public figures.
