**Title: Morocco Jails 29, Including Politicians and Sports Figures, in Major Drug Trafficking Trial**
A Moroccan court has sentenced 29 individuals, including notable politicians and sports figures, to prison terms of up to 12 years, concluding a significant international drug trafficking and corruption trial. The verdicts were announced late Thursday in Casablanca, following a two-year investigation that has been described as one of the largest anti-corruption operations in the country's history.
Among those convicted are Abdennebi Bioui, a construction tycoon and former president of the regional council; Said Naciri, the former president of the Wydad AC football club and a former member of parliament; and Belkacem Mir, another senior member of the governing PAM party. Bioui received the longest sentence of 12 years, while Naciri and Mir were sentenced to 10 years each. The remaining defendants received sentences ranging from two to nine years, depending on their involvement in the criminal network.
The trial stemmed from testimony by El Hadj Ahmed Ben Brahim, a notorious Malian drug trafficker known as the "Pablo Escobar of the Sahara." Currently serving a 10-year sentence in Morocco, Ben Brahim claimed that his former Moroccan political and business associates had betrayed him, seizing millions of dollars in luxury real estate and vehicles after his arrest in 2019.
The case involved over 20 defendants, 18 witnesses, and two civil parties, focusing on a sophisticated network that trafficked large quantities of Moroccan cannabis resin across North Africa to Europe, in addition to shipments of cocaine from Latin America. The defendants faced a range of charges, including drug trafficking, gold trafficking, corruption, forgery, and money laundering.
In addition to the prison sentences, the court ordered the seizure of assets and imposed fines amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars against the main ringleaders. The verdicts have sent shockwaves through Moroccan society, particularly among the families of the convicted, many of whom were present in the courtroom without legal representation due to an ongoing lawyers' strike. Reports indicate that some family members collapsed in the courthouse upon hearing the sentences.
The scandal has reached the highest levels of the Moroccan government, prompting King Mohammed VI to call for a legally binding code of ethics aimed at improving the integrity of parliamentary life. This case highlights the ongoing challenges Morocco faces in combating drug trafficking and corruption, as well as the potential for reform within its political system.
As Morocco grapples with these issues, the implications of this trial may resonate beyond its borders, affecting international perceptions of the country's commitment to addressing drug-related crime and corruption. The outcome of this case could serve as a pivotal moment in Morocco's efforts to enhance governance and restore public trust in its institutions.