Judicial Verdicts on Drug Offenders
On July 7, 2023, the Criminal Chamber at the Court of First Instance in Berrechid, presided over by Judge Ahmed El Hashimi, alongside Prosecutor Sidik Ben Nour, rendered a judgment in a notable case (file number: 702/2103/2026) involving two defendants aged between 27 and 28 years. The first accused, identified as M.Z., received a sentence of six years of imprisonment along with a hefty fine of thirty thousand dirhams. The second accused, A.L., was sentenced to five years in prison and a twenty thousand dirham fine, with both defendants also facing the confiscation of the seized funds for the benefit of the Kingdom's public treasury and the destruction of the confiscated drugs. This ruling came after the prosecution had charged them with drug trafficking, aiding in the distribution of drugs, utilizing counterfeit vehicle plates, and bribery, each according to the specific allegations against them.
According to sources from the electronic newspaper "Assafir 24," the events leading up to this case unfolded on the evening of June 26, when the Royal Gendarmerie, specifically its motorcycle brigade, apprehended the driver of a Peugeot 301 and his companion at a judicial checkpoint located at the toll station on the Berrechid-Casablanca highway. The two were en route from the city of Fes heading to Marrakech. Upon the request for documentation by one of the gendarmes, the driver attempted to bribe the officer with a sum of 1,000 dirhams to evade inspection.
Discovery of Substantial Drug Quantities
The gendarmes, suspicious of this attempted bribe, promptly conducted a search of the vehicle. Their diligence paid off as they discovered a significant amount of hashish weighing 66 kilograms and 120 grams of hard drugs (cocaine). Consequently, both the driver and his companion were arrested and handed over to the judicial police at the Berrechid Royal Gendarmerie for further investigation into the matter.
Further information revealed that a check on the suspects via the automated system indicated that they hailed from Fes and had prior convictions related to drug transportation, possession, and trafficking of both hashish and cocaine. During preliminary investigations, both individuals admitted to their involvement in this illicit trade.
As reported by assafir24.ma.
