Bangladesh, Aug. 16 -- Algerian authorities have arrested and placed under judicial supervision an alleged senior leader of the “DZ Mafia,” a criminal syndicate that French authorities have linked to drug trafficking, kidnappings and contract killings. The arrest represents a significant development in a French investigation aimed at dismantling the organizations leadership and wider criminal structure.

Mehdi Laribi, a French-Algerian national, was detained in Algeria on July 20 under an arrest warrant issued by investigating magistrates in Marseille. The Marseille Public Prosecutors Office confirmed the arrest, saying Laribi was subsequently placed under judicial supervision by the Algerian justice system on July 21.

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