The Moroccan authorities have finally captured the drug baron known as “Lemoni,” who had evaded justice for 25 years thanks to the statute of limitations on his sentences. He was apprehended after being sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison in a criminal case. According to reports from the newspapers “Al Akhbar” and “Al Ahdath Al Maghribia,” on Saturday, September 7, the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Appeal in Tetouan placed the baron “Lemoni” in pre-trial detention at the local prison “Soumal.”
“Lemoni” was the subject of numerous international search warrants due to his involvement in international drug trafficking. It is reported that he was also pursued for evading compliance and causing severe injuries to a police officer. He was transferred to the judicial police department for investigation before being presented to the public prosecutor. Sources close to the investigation indicate that many of the crimes committed by the baron have surpassed the statute of limitations, but he will be retried in a criminal case where he was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison.
The same sources state that the accused, who had been on the run for many years, voluntarily surrendered to the police in Fnideq. He was then transferred to the Tetouan Security Headquarters, where he was interrogated before being referred to the public prosecutor, who ordered his pre-trial detention.
The newspaper “Al Ahdath Al Maghribia” explains that “Lemoni” had been a fugitive for 25 years, moving between northern Morocco and southern Spain. He is considered one of the oldest wanted drug barons in the north of the kingdom and one of the biggest traffickers, especially in cocaine. He used to obtain powerful drugs from the occupied city of Ceuta and the “La Línea de la Concepción” area in southern Spain, where major cocaine distribution networks operate.
The suspect, who holds both Moroccan and Spanish citizenship, remained out of the reach of justice due to the statute of limitations on felonies. He almost escaped justice once again if it weren’t for the vigilance of the Public Prosecutor, who issued a new arrest warrant based on a 10-year in absentia prison sentence issued against him several years ago.
