French Drug Kingpin Faces Trial in Nice After Decade-Long Escape to Morocco

On Monday, Kader Zemouli was referred to the criminal court in Nice with twelve other defendants aged between 22 and 57, while he is still on the run in Morocco, reports Var-matin. This man considered a drug baron in Menton is known to the judicial police in France, where he had been placed under surveillance. In 2013, he had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking. Kader Zemouli found refuge in Morocco. Since then, he has been the subject of an arrest warrant.

His accomplices, on the other hand, did not manage to escape French justice. They were arrested on January 23, 2020 during an operation on the A8 for their alleged participation in the importation of drugs between Spain, the Netherlands and the Alpes-Maritimes, through a series of go-fast. In total, 374 kg of cannabis resin are found in four cars. The value of the goods is estimated at 1.5 million euros.

The criminal court in Nice is expected to hand down its judgment on October 3.