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Rabat – Moroccan security services have extradited two French nationals to their country for their alleged connection to a major drug network operating between Spain and France.
AFP said the suspects, aged 27 and 28, were formally indicted in Toulouse. The authorities in France placed them in pre-trial detention on Friday last week as part of an ongoing investigation.
The Toulouse public prosecutor, David Charmatz, said in a statement on Sunday that the two suspects face different charges, including drug trafficking, organized importation of narcotics, and organized money laundering of drug proceeds.
They have been committing the alleged crime from January 2021 to February 2024.
The prosecutor said the two suspects could be among the leaders of the network known as “Arai Farmers.”
The network operates out of Barcelona under organizers based in Morocco. They have been using platforms like Telegram to communicate about their operations.
The two suspects have been targeted by an arrest warrant since April 2024, along with two other alleged leaders of the network.
Moroccan security services arrested them in February this year.
The investigation continues to obtain the extradition of the remaining fugitives.
The statement cited two arrest campaigns that led to the identification of 40 people. Around 15 of the suspects are in detention.
Morocco has been reinforcing its international security campaigns, positioning itself as a key partner of Interpol. The North African country regularly arrests and hands over wanted suspects to their respective countries.
The cooperation is part of Morocco’s intensified efforts to curb drug trafficking and bolster border surveillance.
Moroccan security services seized 123 tons and 971 kilograms of cannabis in different operations across the country last year. The seizures included 1.9 tons of cocaine, 16.5 kilograms of heroin, and over 1.4 million psychotropic substances.
