Moroccan authorities have arrested 11 individuals suspected of being linked to a major cocaine trafficking network operating between Europe and North Africa, according to reports from Belgian and Moroccan media on Monday, June 8. The suspects, described as dual nationals holding Moroccan, Belgian, Dutch, or French citizenship, were reportedly subject to international arrest warrants and an Interpol Red Notice issued as part of ongoing cross-border investigations into organized drug crime.
Key Figure Arrested in Marrakech
Among those detained is Abdelilah El Messaoudi, an Anvers-born Belgian-Moroccan national already sentenced in absentia to 34 years in prison in Belgium. Known by the alias “Black,” he had been on the run since 2020.
According to Belgian Flemish newspaper HLN, El Messaoudi was apprehended at a luxury hotel in Marrakech after previously fleeing through multiple countries, including Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, where he had also been briefly arrested before being released due to procedural issues.
Authorities estimate that his alleged criminal network generated approximately €43 million through large-scale cocaine imports into Europe, primarily via the port of Antwerp, one of the continent’s main drug trafficking entry points.
Coordinated Arrests in Tangier and Marrakech
In total, ten additional suspects were arrested during coordinated operations carried out in the cities of Tangier and Marrakech. Investigators believe several of those detained played leading roles in the logistics and financial structures of cocaine trafficking networks connecting Latin America, Morocco, and Europe. The individuals are being investigated for alleged membership in criminal organizations, as well as drug trafficking and money laundering activities.
Strong International Cooperation
The arrests highlight the growing cooperation between Moroccan security services and European law enforcement agencies in combating transnational drug trafficking networks.In recent years, Morocco has increasingly become a key partner in European efforts to track and detain high-profile fugitives operating across borders. Because Moroccan law does not allow the extradition of its nationals, European countries have instead strengthened judicial and security collaboration with Rabat, often leading to prosecutions being conducted locally in Morocco.
A Growing Pattern of High-Profile Arrests
The latest operation follows similar arrests in recent years, including several prominent figures in European drug trafficking networks captured on Moroccan soil. Authorities say such cases underline Morocco’s strategic role in disrupting international narcotics routes and dismantling criminal organizations operating between Europe and Africa.
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