Suspect in French Teen’s Murder Arrested in Spain, Faces Multiple Charges

Karim B. was the subject of a European arrest warrant. He is suspected of being the sponsor of the fatal shooting that occurred on January 25 in Mas-de-Mingue. Arrested in Spain on June 14, he was indicted in Nîmes for murder in an organized gang, attempted murder, arson of a vehicle and participation in attempted murders in an organized gang between December 1, 2020 and February 9, 2021.

"I didn’t know I was wanted. I lived in Metz in Moselle where I worked. I had gone to Morocco for Ramadan," the accused said during his appearance on Wednesday before the chamber of instruction. Of Moroccan origin, this Nîmes man is a repeat offender. He had already been sentenced to 5 years in prison for drug trafficking in 2017, recalls Midi Libre.

According to drug networks, Karim B. would be the baron of the drug trafficking in the Chemin-Bas and the sponsor of several violent operations carried out in Mas-de-Mingue. The traffickers of these two rival neighborhoods had been engaged for months in settling scores by organizing shootings and kidnappings.

"The file is empty. You only have anonymous testimonies, a phone number that was given to you but which does not belong to him. He vehemently denies being at the head of a gang capable of triggering a war between drug traffickers," assures his lawyer, Me Baptiste Scherrer, who requested the release of his client. But the judges of the chamber of instruction ordered the provisional detention of Karim B.