On June 25, 2026, a Moroccan court delivered verdicts in the high-profile drug trafficking case known as the 'Pablo Escobar of the Sahara'. Two former members of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), Abdenbi Bioui and Saïd Naciri, were among those convicted on charges including participation in an international drug trafficking network.
Abdenbi Bioui, a former parliamentarian, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined 500,000 Moroccan dirhams. Saïd Naciri, a former president of the Wydad Athletic Club, received a 5-year prison sentence and a fine of 200,000 dirhams. The court also ordered the confiscation of assets linked to the case.
The case, which has drawn significant media attention in Morocco, involved allegations of large-scale cocaine trafficking through the Sahara region. The defendants were accused of using their political and business connections to facilitate the smuggling operations.
Both Bioui and Naciri have the right to appeal the verdict. The trial is seen as a major step in Morocco's efforts to combat drug trafficking and corruption.
