Mocro Maffia: son of drug lord Ridouan Taghi arrested in Dubai

2023-09-12 03:27:48

He is suspected of being part of a criminal organization. The eldest son of drug lord Ridouan Taghi has been arrested by authorities in the United Arab Emirates, and the Netherlands is now seeking his extradition, Dutch prosecutors announced Monday. “Authorities in the United Arab Emirates confirmed to Dutch prosecutors on Monday that Faissal T., 22, had been arrested in Dubai,” they said. This arrest “was made at the request of the Netherlands”, they specify.

Faissal Taghi is the eldest son of Ridouan Taghi, 45, born in Morocco but raised in the Netherlands, according to Dutch public television. Ridouan Taghi and 16 other people are currently awaiting the verdict of the Amsterdam court after a wild trial of the drug lord, accused by prosecutors of having pulled the strings of an organization described as a “killing machine”.

Suspected of drug trafficking and money laundering

Ridouan Taghi and his accomplices are accused of six murders and four attempted murders. The prosecution requested life imprisonment against him. He is accused of having led an international organized crime organization, whose roots are partly in the Benelux, and commonly called “Mocro Maffia” because of the Moroccan origins of several of its members. The term actually refers to a set of criminal groups. He was arrested in Dubai in 2019, and extradited to the Netherlands shortly after.

Faissal Taghi is suspected of being part of a criminal gang linked to drug trafficking but also of being involved in money laundering operations and the preparation of violent crimes, according to prosecutors. “He has been detained since his arrest,” they added, assuring that they were “completely confident about the continuation of the extradition procedure.”