Drug Baron Extradited Dubai Antwerp Trial Belgium

Tried before the criminal court, the 38-year-old man refuses to be held responsible for the heavy criminal past of his siblings. While his brothers Jamal, Nordin and Younes have accumulated convictions for fraud or drug trafficking, the defense demands that Othman be treated like any other citizen. His lawyer, Ms. Nathalie Buisseret, describes a father of four children of introverted nature, far from the criminal figure depicted publicly. This embarrassing surname had also circulated during the assassination of his niece Firdaous three years ago, a tragic case in which the defendant was only heard as a simple witness.

On Bladi.net : Extradition of a Moroccan drug baron from Dubai

Considered by justice as a high-value target, the suspect had been sentenced to twenty years imprisonment for the importation of 11 tonnes of Ecuadorian cocaine, to which seven years were added for other operations. However, the accusation would rest on a very fragile basis. According to 7sur7, the case is based almost entirely on two messages extracted from the encrypted Sky ECC network. The defense suggests that these communications and associated identifiers could actually belong to another organization, the Tarrahi family. "Will you condemn a man to 27 years in prison based on two messages?", said Ms. Dimitri De Béco to the magistrates to denounce the lack of concrete evidence.

On Bladi.net : Belgian Drug Kingpin Arrested in Dubai After International Manhunt

The defendant justifies his hasty departure to Dubai in 2016 by an unbearable climate of insecurity in Antwerp, following the kidnapping of his young brother Younes. In the Emirates, he claims to have worked modestly in his brother’s restaurant, categorically refuting rumors of alleged invisible real estate fortune. Transferred last summer by private jet to the highly secure prison in Bruges, he repeats having no connection with drug trafficking. "I never imagined for a single second that the court would condemn me," he declared from the stand. The prosecution maintains its demands and the final decision is expected for June 26.