Belgian Crime Boss Accused of Running Drug Ring from Moroccan Prison

Ashraf Sekkaki is described as one of the most dangerous criminals in the world. Involved in numerous robberies and kidnappings, he has escaped from prison several times. Having been sentenced to twelve years in prison would not have changed him, according to some experts who claim that he remains mentally unstable and has not lost any of the drifts that led him behind bars. The prisoner’s voice was identified during telephone tappings as part of an investigation into drug trafficking, among other things, reports 7sur7.

According to the investigators, he even ran a real temporary employment agency for crime from his cell in Morocco, where he also discussed weapons, stolen watches and luxury cars. But he refutes all these accusations and thinks that the Belgian justice system with the help of Morocco are looking for subterfuges to keep him there. "What the Belgians have been able to write about me here is the gospel," complains the prisoner, who also says he fears a sham trial. "As if the Moroccans were going to listen to these conversations," he ironizes.

Isolated from everyone, even in prison, he thinks he cannot complain about his situation. "Even though I am physically imprisoned, I realize that many people are less fortunate than me. I try to put things in perspective, it could be better, but it could also be worse." Removed several times from the list of prisoners who were granted royal pardon, he believes that with the new accusations, he would be better off abandoning the idea of early release. He is impatient to get out of prison in order to give himself a chance to lead a normal life. "I have an intense and deep hatred for the Belgian justice system. They want to bury me alive here."

He is convinced that Morocco and Belgium are in cahoots to keep him in prison indefinitely. To achieve this, an old file has been taken out of the closet, according to the repeat offender. It is an investigation into drug trafficking conducted by the Malines justice system since 2014. According to the first report, the Sekkaki family - of which Ashraf is one of the nine children - is accused of running a drug trafficking network. The ringleader would be Ashraf Sekkaki himself, yet incarcerated for five years in Morocco. "The purpose of the operation would be to free Sekkaki’s crime money," the investigators in charge of the investigation indicate. According to them, the gang mainly communicates via Messenger and WhatsApp and regularly changes phone numbers. "I’ve always said I had nothing to do with any of this," Sekkaki defends himself.

He adds that "Belgium readily plays the white knight when it comes to human rights and injustice. But what is it doing itself? Sending a file when it knows full well that people are being tortured here in Morocco and that I have no means of defending myself." Serious statements that Sekkaki’s lawyer in Belgium partly takes up. "Just because someone makes the mistake of fleeing to Morocco doesn’t mean they should be deprived of all hope. Certainly not when they have already served every day of their 12-year sentence," says Me Frédéric Thiebaut. "As a government or country, we cannot accept that he does not have a fair trial or is mistreated. We don’t throw people away like tissues."

While waiting for his fate to be decided, Ashraf Sekkaki tries to kill time. "I work out in my cell, because since I’m in isolation, I’m not allowed to go to the prison gym. Sport is my natural antidepressant. I’m not always doing well. I try to read a lot and learn. I have Belgian magazines, books and newspapers that my family sends me with a few weeks delay, but it’s better than nothing."

Accused of being obsessed with escape, he defines himself as a man who has a taste for freedom. Since HLN published this interview, Ashraf Sekkaki, according to his relatives and his lawyer, would be accused of being linked to Ridouan Taghi, a Dutch drug trafficker suspected of a series of executions and murders. "His name is used at will in all the files," regrets the lawyer.