Dangerous internationally wanted Libyan criminal arrested in drug smuggling network in Bouznika

Libyan national referred to the Public Prosecutor in Bouznika

As part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen international security cooperation and pursue individuals wanted for cross-border crime, the Judicial Police services in Bouznika referred a 66-year-old Libyan national to the competent Public Prosecutor on Saturday, September 26.

This judicial action follows the issuance of an international arrest warrant by Libyan judicial authorities due to his alleged involvement in serious criminal cases related to international drug trafficking and prison escape.

Tight security coordination reveals Interpol Red Notice

Field data indicated that the suspect’s arrest was the result of tight and precise security coordination between police services in Bouznika and elements of the Royal Gendarmerie in the Mansouria region.

Automated screening of the individual in the databases of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) revealed a match with a person who was the subject of a Red Notice, issued at the request of the National Central Bureau in Tripoli, due to suspicions of his ties to an international criminal network active in drug smuggling.

Background of prison escape since 2011

Preliminary investigation data suggest that Libyan security authorities had arrested the suspect for the first time in 2002 for alleged involvement in an international drug trafficking ring, a case for which he was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.

However, the individual managed to plan and execute a successful escape from a correctional facility in his home country in 2011, remaining a fugitive under international pursuit until he was located and arrested on Moroccan soil.

Extradition procedures and international security cooperation

Following the instructions of the competent Public Prosecutor, the suspect has been subjected to all legal procedures related to extradition. In the same context, the National Central Bureau (Interpol Rabat), under the General Directorate for National Security, has been tasked with formally notifying its Libyan counterpart of the arrest to complete the remaining legal extradition procedures.

This security operation reaffirms the Moroccan security services’ strict commitment to activating international security cooperation channels, particularly regarding the pursuit and arrest of internationally wanted criminal elements involved in cross-border crime.