The Criminal Court of Appeal in Oran sentenced two Moroccan nationals to 15 years in prison for drug trafficking on 31 October. The proceedings concluded with the court finding the defendants guilty of charges related to the illicit transport and distribution of narcotics. Authorities took the individuals into custody following investigations into cross-border criminal activity. The ruling marks a significant judicial action within the Oran region against organized networks involved in the movement of contraband. These Moroccan nationals remain in detention as they serve the sentences handed down by the court.
Details of Criminal Network
Judicial investigators identified a criminal network consisting of 6 people operating within the region. This group included the two Moroccan nationals, B.M and B.Y, who received sentences from the Oran court. Authorities connected the remaining members of the network, identified as B.S and The Sheikh, to operations spanning across Nâama and Djenien Bourezg. Evidence presented during the trial linked the syndicate to the illicit transport of narcotics through Béchar. Law enforcement officials tracked the movements of these 6 individuals as they facilitated the distribution of contraband across the border. Prosecutors established that the defendants worked in association to coordinate the movement of prohibited substances. The court remains focused on the involvement of each identified person in the network.
Arrests and Weapon Seizures
Authorities arrested B.M and B.Y in Nâama while the two men were in possession of two hunting rifles. These weapons were recovered by law enforcement during the operation that led to the detention of the defendants.
Security forces previously recovered 13 kilograms of processed cannabis during an initial arrest involving a suspect and his uncle within the border municipality of Djenien Bourezg. This seizure occurred as investigators mapped the operational reach of the local criminal network.
Police later seized 182 kilograms of cannabis during the arrest of B.M and B.Y. Officers discovered the narcotics being transported on pack animals used by the defendants to move the contraband across the border.
B.M and B.Y stated during the proceedings that they were working for a compatriot identified as The Sheikh. The defendants claimed they received payments ranging from 40 to 50 million centimes for their involvement in the transport of the substances.
