Algeria cracks down on drug trafficking with major arrest and informant incentives

Algerian police arrested Rachid Djeha, a senior figure of the Marseille‑based criminal network known as the “DZ Mafia”. French authorities had listed Djeha as a priority target in the fight against trans‑national narcotics trafficking. The arrest, carried out on Algerian soil, highlights the complex judicial cooperation between Algeria and France, especially given Algeria’s constitutional ban on extraditing its own citizens.

In parallel, the Algerian government issued executive decree 26‑272 on 1 August 2026, creating a new system of financial and non‑financial rewards for individuals who provide information leading to the identification, arrest, or disruption of drug‑related crimes. The decree designates the judicial police and customs services as the competent authorities and leaves the amount of any monetary reward to the discretion of senior investigators.

Both measures signal a heightened Algerian commitment to combat organized drug trafficking and to encourage public cooperation in dismantling criminal networks.