Casablanca’s Criminal Court of Appeal postponed the “Escobar of the Sahara” case until January 3, 2025, to allow more time to continue hearing the defendants involved, according to media reports.
The list of suspects includes Saïd Naciri, former head of Wydad Football Club, and Abdenbi Bioui, Eastern Regional Council President, both members of the Party of Authenticity and Modernity, politicians, sports officials, law enforcement personnel, notaries, and a fashion designer.
The defendants are accused in a criminal case involving allegations of drug trafficking, money laundering, and abuse of power.
The case erupted in August, following a Jeune Afrique magazine article, which reported links between the accused – although they were not mentioned by name – and a drug baron nicknamed “The Malian” / “Sahara Escobar,” whose real name is El Hadj Ahmed Ben Ibrahim.