Morocco Drug Trafficking Haven: 218 French Criminals Hiding

To escape justice, French criminals have their habits. According to a document from the Central Office for Combating Organized Crime (OCLCO) dated May 4 and consulted by RTL, Morocco is the number one destination for fugitive offenders. Based on 3,600 Interpol red notices analyzed by the national fugitive search brigade, 218 French fugitives are currently hiding in the Kingdom. Algeria follows with 124 individuals, ahead of Israel, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates.

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The profile of these exiles varies greatly depending on their destination. On Moroccan soil, nearly half of the individuals (49%) are being hunted for drug trafficking cases and 27% for other organized crime matters. The police note warns that these major offenders manage to "sometimes smoothly run their illegal activities outside of France." Authorities also emphasize the urgency of apprehending these targets abroad to pull the country out of the "drug trafficking trap." Conversely, those who choose Israel or the Emirates are overwhelmingly involved in financial crimes.

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Bringing these individuals before the courts is often a legal puzzle. Investigators recall that states very rarely extradite their own citizens, a rule that France also applies to its nationals. Faced with this obstacle and to break the sense of impunity, the national directorate of judicial police decided to shift gears. It established a list of priority interest individuals to concentrate its efforts and find new leverage against these networks.