A Moroccan court questioned five suspects on Friday in a high-profile drug trafficking case that has shaken the country’s political and sports elite.
Since 2023, authorities have detained 20 individuals, including prominent political figures Abdenbi Bioui and Said Naciri, the former president of Casablanca’s Wydad AC football club.
The case, known as the “Escobar of the Sahara” affair, involves 25 suspects facing charges of drug possession, trafficking, export, and corruption, according to prosecutors.
The trial, which began in May 2024, has faced multiple delays, with Bioui and Naciri yet to appear before a judge.
During Friday’s session, five defendants stood before the Casablanca Criminal Court, accused of drug smuggling based on recorded phone calls and police investigations from 2023.
Prosecutors claim these conversations reveal their involvement in an organized network that smuggled cannabis from Morocco to Algeria and beyond.
They also allege that these recordings link the suspects directly to Bioui, a businessman and former leader of the eastern regional council under Morocco’s ruling coalition.
In court, the five defendants denied all charges, insisting they were farmers and herders with no involvement in drug trafficking.
One suspect, Abdellah Hannafi, admitted to a phone call in which another suspect invited him to join the trade, but he claimed he refused.
Prosecutors argue the network has ties to Hadj Ahmed Ben Brahim, a Malian drug lord serving a 10-year prison sentence in Morocco.
Dubbed the “Pablo Escobar of the Sahara,” Ben Brahim was arrested in 2019 after authorities seized 40 tonnes of cannabis resin linked to his organization.
The case highlights Morocco’s long struggle with illicit cannabis smuggling, despite a 2021 law permitting its cultivation for medical and industrial use.