HIBAPRESS – Fikri Ouldali
The Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Al Hoceima issued varying judicial rulings in four criminal cases related to trafficking in hard drugs and parallel crimes, following an extensive discussion of the files during separate sessions that revealed the details of a complex network of defendants and multiple charges including possession, trafficking, collective agreement, and other accompanying crimes.
In the first case, the court acquitted a defendant of participating in the possession and trafficking of hard drugs and a collective agreement to commit these acts, while continuing to pursue him for the remaining charges. Another defendant was also convicted to eight years in prison and a fine of 20,000 dirhams, with an obligation to pay 567,000 dirhams to the Customs Administration and 80,000 dirhams as civil compensation to the car rental agency, in addition to ordering the return of the seized car to its rightful owner. As for the second case, it resulted in the conviction of two defendants for possession and consumption of hard drugs, participation in marital infidelity, trafficking and facilitating for others. The court sentenced the first defendant to five years in prison and a fine of 20,000 dirhams, while the second defendant was sentenced to six months in suspended prison and a fine of 500 dirhams, with solidarity charges. In the third case, the court issued separate rulings against three defendants, where it sentenced the first defendant to four years in prison and a fine of 20,000 dirhams, while the second defendant was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of 2,000 dirhams, while the third defendant was convicted to two months in suspended prison and a fine of 500 dirhams. The court also ordered the confiscation of the seized knife, and obliged the first and second defendants to pay 241,000 dirhams to the Customs Administration. In the fourth case, a defendant was convicted to five years in prison and a fine of 20,000 dirhams for the charges related to trafficking in hard drugs, in addition to an additional fine of 1,200 dirhams for lack of insurance, with an obligation to pay the amount of 16,452 dirhams to the Customs Administration, as well as the confiscation of the seized motorcycle and foreign currency. These rulings fall within the framework of the judicial efforts made to combat drug trafficking networks and reduce related crimes, which enhances the sense of security and consolidates the rule of law in the region.
