More than 100 criminal groups operate on the Costa del Sol, which has become a hub for international drug trafficking. Its proximity to Morocco, Gibraltar and the port of Algésiras facilitates business, but also settling scores between rival networks.
Seddik Errais, a Dutchman of Moroccan origin from Maastricht, is still incarcerated in Morocco four years after being acquitted in the La Crème café shooting case in Marrakech. The proceedings have since seen new developments, and he continues to proclaim his innocence.
A 54-year-old man sentenced in the Netherlands for money laundering and drug trafficking had fled to Morocco before serving his sentence. Moroccan justice took over the case and sentenced him to eight years in prison, as well as a fine of nearly 8,000 euros.
Three figures in Antwerp’s drug trade, arrested in June in Marrakech, were taken out of prison on Thursday morning to appear in court without prior notice. A few hours later, the court had already delivered its verdict: 5, 8 and 9 years in prison, according to the Belgian press.
Five years after the death of Adam, aged 9, who was struck on a Montpellier sidewalk by a driver under the influence of alcohol and drugs, the city is set to pay tribute to him. A plaque will be unveiled on Saturday, August 22, just a few metres from the scene of the tragedy.
Years after the searches were launched, three men closely linked to Morocco still rank among the Netherlands’ most wanted criminals. Two are suspected of having run a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation, while the third is wanted in several murder cases.
Nasserdine “Nadori” Tarrahi, a Moroccan-born figure in Antwerp’s drug trade, has been arrested in Dubai. Sentenced to twelve years in prison for importing 840 kilos of cocaine, he had been wanted by Belgium for several years.
Morocco has just handed over a convicted and wanted trafficker to Belgium, while two figures from Antwerp’s drug underworld arrested in Dubai could wait several months before a possible extradition.
Convicted in Belgium and the Netherlands for cocaine trafficking, Jos Leijdekkers now lives in Sierra Leone, where he has become the president’s son-in-law. His name remains linked to the disappearance of Naima Jillal and accusations from his former Moroccan partner.
Long convinced they could live or run their networks from Morocco, French drug traffickers are seeing their room for maneuver shrink . The political and judicial rapprochement between Rabat and Paris has profoundly changed the situation.
Extradited last summer from Dubai, Othman El Ballouti, 38, has just had his convictions confirmed. Belgian justice has imposed twenty-seven years imprisonment on him for his major role in a vast international cocaine trafficking operation.
Considered one of the biggest cocaine importers in France, Ouicem Kattoursi was arrested in Dubai. This arrest ends a long fugitive period for this drug trafficker from Sevran, already arrested in Casablanca in 2008.