Morocco: Spectacular fall of a drug trafficker wanted since 2016

"Wanted since his escape from a Spanish prison eight years ago," the drug baron "had managed to enter and leave the Kingdom no less than sixteen times, without being noticed," relays Assabah, specifying that the fugitive was able to cross the Moroccan borders without being bothered. According to the investigators, this suggests that the criminal held a "false passport that allowed him to keep his real identity secret". But they were unable to confirm this hypothesis, as the accused refused "to reveal the conditions under which he was able to move around in complete tranquility".

The drug baron "also refused to provide the investigators with the names of people who assisted him in his travels, whether in Morocco or in the European countries he traveled to during these eight years on the run," or whether he "used Moroccan boats to transport drugs with him to various destinations," informs the daily, adding that "this drug baron was arrested by the gendarmerie services in Kénitra, while he was considered one of the most dangerous wanted traffickers". He was placed in detention on the orders of the investigating judge at the court of first instance in Kénitra.

The trafficker is accused of international drug trafficking from Morocco and would also be involved in cases of theft and robbery. "After his escape from a Spanish prison, he had first gone to Italy, before taking advantage of his extradition operation to return to Morocco and disappear from the radar," informs the publication, which specifies that "given the dangerousness of the individual, the gendarmerie services set up a team among its best elements to organize the operation of his arrest, which took place in a village in the commune of Ben Mansour".

"His network was infiltrated by two agents who posed as elements of the Royal Armed Forces in charge of maritime border surveillance, and offered to help him facilitate drug trafficking operations... A meeting was organized to make him fall into the gendarmerie’s trap. The operation was not easy, as the baron and his accomplices showed violence and strong resistance, but he was still arrested and subjected to a thorough investigation, which has certainly not yet revealed all his secrets," details the daily.