Moroccan personalities at the heart of international drug trafficking?

The Moroccan press is abuzz about a potential international drug deal involving some twenty people, including police officers, civil servants, company directors, a notary and a tourism promoter.

The two central figures include Saïd Naciri, owner and financier of Wydad Casablanca, Morocco's biggest soccer club, and Abdenbi Bioui, a leading construction and real estate entrepreneur. Both are members of the Parti de l'Authenticité et de la Modernité (PAM), a party closely linked to politics and business in Morocco. also in favor of legalizing cannabis in the kingdom.

The charges brought against these individuals range from international drug trafficking to the formation of a criminal gang, money laundering, spoliation and falsification of official documents. The case stems from the revelations of a drug trafficker known as «the Malian» or «the Pablo Escobar of the Sahara», who is currently serving a prison sentence, and who implicated Naciri and Bioui in large-scale cannabis trafficking starting in 2010.

The trafficker claims that his alleged accomplices seized his assets in Morocco when he was incarcerated in 2015, including properties in Casablanca. His second arrest in 2019, linked to a 40-ton shipment of cannabis, cleared up the case. Naciri and Bioui were subsequently arrested and have been in custody since December 22, as reported by Le Monde and TV5 Monde.

Despite the serious allegations, Naciri's lawyer denied any connection with international drug trafficking or money laundering, claiming that Naciri had merely provided personal assistance to an acquaintance. Naciri and Bioui, both members of the PAM, have voluntarily suspended their membership of the party, and the PAM has stressed that the party offers no protection against the law.

This case adds to a growing trend of investigations and convictions against elected representatives in Morocco, with at least six members currently in prison out of the 395 members of the House of Representatives. The situation is seen as emblematic of a wider problem where political parties give priority to securing the votes of notables, leading to dubious practices. The legal proceedings against Naciri and Bioui are set to continue with the first interrogation session scheduled for January 25, promising a major political and judicial saga in 2024.