Suspected Narco-Boat Driver Surrenders to Spanish Authorities After Months in Morocco

Karim El Baqqali, also known as Karim Gabarde or El Enfacao, seems to be the one who was at the helm of the narco-boat that had collided with the civil guards in the port of Barbate. The Moroccan crossed the strait last Thursday to surrender to the Spanish justice. A "courageous" decision, according to his lawyer. The defendant is said to have surrendered of his own free will. But sources have told Europa Sur that Karim acted this way because drug barons in Morocco would have threatened to go after his family.

Karim is the nephew of Abdellah El Merabet, alias Pus Pus, considered by the Spanish security services as one of the most important drug traffickers on the Costa del Sol. His criminal activities took a hit after the death of the two civil guards. According to some Spanish media, Abdellah El Haj Sadek El Membri, alias "Messi of hashish", one of the criminals most wanted by Europol, who has been in hiding in Morocco since 2019 after fleeing Spain, does not look favorably on Karim El Baqqali hiding in Dalia where he conducts his activities. He would then have asked Pus Pus to convince Karim to surrender.

"It’s nonsense," his lawyer blurts out. However, sources close to the investigation confirm this hypothesis. "It seems that it is his uncle who insists the most on the fact that they will take care of his family, that they will not lack anything during his sentence in Spain. He is even willing to take charge of the substantial financial compensation for the families of the deceased that justice will impose on Karim. This could be a mitigating factor for his conviction, just like the fact that he decided to surrender, confess and cooperate with justice," they comment.

El Baqqali would have accepted the deal out of fear of being arrested in Morocco and having to serve a sentence in a Moroccan prison, due to the lack of an extradition agreement with Spain. "Morocco does not extradite its nationals to any country," a source recalls. His lawyers have signed an agreement with the UCO agents in Madrid to indict him for negligent homicide. But the prosecution, which is not aware of this secret agreement, accuses Karim of murder and attempted murder. Detained for a week at Ingreso de Puerto, the Moroccan will likely be transferred to a prison closer to the Costa del Sol next week.