Teen prostitution ring dismantled in southern France, Digi Mart USA News (Var and Alpes-Maritimes, France): For nearly four months, a 15-year-old girl was reportedly forced into prostitution in several departments of southern France, namely the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes, according to information from ICI Provence. Gendarmes from the Draguignan criminal investigation unit dismantled a pimping network, and two suspects were arrested.
In May 2026, a mother went to the gendarmerie in Puget-sur-Argens (Var) and reported her 15-year-old daughter missing. She feared the girl was being held captive in Marseille, according to the reporting outlets.
A few days later, the teenager was found by investigators from the anti-pimping unit in Marseille.
Investigators established that the girl had been a victim of a prostitution network and that the two suspects had imposed a daily financial target on her. That money was entirely collected by the suspects themselves.
Under constant threats and violence, the girl was monitored and prevented from escaping.
Pierre Couttenier, the prosecutor of the Republic, said in a statement cited by France 3 that the investigation revealed “a structured organization, relying in particular on the posting of online ads and the rental of apartments and hotel rooms.” Local press reports that between February and May, nearly 900 clients used the teenager’s services and that total receipts amounted to about 63,000 euros.
After several months of investigation, investigators arrested two individuals in October, one of whom is a minor. They were taken into custody and then placed under formal investigation for “aggravated pimping of a minor and human trafficking of a minor.” The adult was placed in pretrial detention.
The minor was placed under judicial supervision. Both are scheduled to be tried on November 4 in Draguignan.
