Morocco Drug War: French Court Examines Alleged Murder Contracts

The trial, being held without lay jurors, examines the double murder in the Soubise housing estate and an attempted Kalashnikov massacre that took place in autumn 2020. Although four alleged lieutenants occupy the defendants’ box, “Malsain’s” seat remains empty. According to the prosecution, the thirty-year-old allegedly organized these punitive expeditions from his Moroccan retreat to “spread terror” and eliminate competition from the “Boutes” drug-dealing spot.

Drug trafficking in Seine-Saint-Denis: commands issued remotely from Morocco

The shadow of the kingdom looms over the proceedings through testimonies and telephone wiretaps. Police reports and recordings made in apartments suggest that Zouhairi allegedly put “contracts” on the heads of his rivals while taking refuge abroad to evade French justice. His main lieutenant reportedly admitted during private exchanges that “everyone knows it’s him” behind the wave of violence that shook Saint-Ouen.

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The defense, for its part, highlights flaws in the investigation, particularly the failure to question key witnesses. Me Marie Violleau, Zouhairi’s lawyer, challenges the strength of the evidence linking her client to the shootings in the Soubise housing estate, based largely on second-hand accounts. As two co-defendants refuse to leave their cells and a terrified witness declined to give evidence, the court is due to deliver its verdict on February 27.