Casablanca, Morocco — A Moroccan court sentenced 29 individuals, including high‑profile politicians, sports executives, and business leaders, after a two‑year trial involving an extensive international drug‑trafficking and corruption network.
The magistrate also imposed fines totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
The investigation began when an incarcerated drug lord popularly called “Sahara’s Pablo Escobar” claimed that several of his associates, among them senior Moroccan politicians, were involved in trafficking and had seized his assets while he was imprisoned. The accused have denied the accusations.
The revelations triggered a series of arrests and a protracted trial that involved 30 defendants, 18 witnesses and two civil parties. The case reignited public debate over corruption in Morocco’s political sphere and prompted King Mohammed VI to call for a legally binding code of ethics to “moralize” parliamentary life.
Abdennebi Bioui, a construction magnate and former lawmaker with the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) who headed a regional council, received a 12‑year prison term and a fine of $15,989.
Said Naciri, a former PAM deputy and former president of the prominent soccer club Wydad AC, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Belkacem Mir, another former PAM legislator and former soccer‑club president, also received a 10‑year sentence.
Other defendants were given prison terms of up to nine years and fines of up to $26,649. One defendant was acquitted. Charges ranged from drug and gold trafficking to corruption, forgery and violations of exchange‑control regulations. The convictions are appealable.
The court ordered the seizure of assets belonging to several defendants, including Bioui, Naciri and Mir, capping the value at $1 million. It also mandated hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties to be paid to customs authorities, with the bulk due jointly from the three men.
Prosecutors had sought convictions for all defendants and the confiscation of their assets, according to local reports.
When the sentences were read, protests erupted from the defendants’ box. “I am innocent. I haven’t done anything,” shouted some. The courtroom atmosphere quickly turned chaotic, with relatives screaming, collapsing, and weeping as police moved in to restore order.
Police documents presented in court indicated that Hadj Ahmed Ben Brahim, a detained Malian drug lord, accused his partners of participating in an international gold‑trafficking network and of confiscating his assets, including a luxury villa, high‑end apartments and dozens of cars.
The Paris‑based magazine *Jeune Afrique* reported that Ben Brahim collaborated with Moroccan politicians to transport cannabis resin to Libya, Egypt and Mauritania.
Morocco remains one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of hashish. While the country has legalized cannabis cultivation for medical and industrial purposes, illicit trafficking persists, aided by its proximity to Europe and routes across the Mediterranean.
The court ordered Bioui, Naciri and Mir to jointly pay Hadj Ahmed Ben Brahim $106,599.
