Rapper Maes sentenced to a heavy prison term in Morocco

The artist, who was residing in Dubai, had been arrested at the Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca upon his arrival by private jet, being the subject of a wanted notice. The justice system accuses him of having commissioned a punitive operation against an acquaintance with whom he was in a financial conflict over concert revenues. Maes would have contacted the leader of a gang in Fez to develop a plan to kidnap, detain and torture this person in Marrakech, while waiting for his arrival in Morocco.

The court also handed down heavy sanctions against the rapper’s accomplices. Mourad L., another key defendant, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while four other gang members were sentenced to 5 years in prison. One-year sentences were imposed on four defendants who were prosecuted while at liberty.

The operation, planned during a meeting in Tangier, had been thwarted at the last minute by the police in Marrakech, as the assailants intercepted their target upon his vehicle’s arrival. The investigation by the National Brigade of the Judicial Police revealed that one of the main perpetrators, the owner of a shisha café, served as an intermediary for drug barons and had photos of weapons and large quantities of hashish on his phone. The defendants faced serious charges, including "forming a criminal gang", "attempted voluntary manslaughter" and "kidnapping and false imprisonment".