Casablanca, Morocco (Running Africa) — A Moroccan court has sentenced 29 people, including prominent politicians, business figures, and sports officials, to prison terms of up to 12 years in one of the country’s largest drug trafficking and corruption cases in recent history.

The verdicts, delivered in Casablanca after a two-year trial, mark a significant milestone in Morocco’s ongoing efforts to combat organized crime and public sector corruption.

Among those convicted was former regional council president Abdennebi Bioui, who received the longest sentence of 12 years in prison. Former Wydad AC president and politician Said Naciri, along with former Member of Parliament Belkacem Mir, were each sentenced to 10 years, while the remaining defendants received prison terms ranging from two to nine years, depending on their level of involvement.

The high-profile case stemmed from testimony by convicted Malian drug trafficker El Hadj Ahmed Ben Brahim, widely known as the “Escobar of the Sahara.” Ben Brahim alleged that former Moroccan political and business associates unlawfully seized millions of dollars’ worth of his assets following his arrest in 2019.

According to prosecutors, the criminal network orchestrated the smuggling of large quantities of Moroccan cannabis resin into Europe while also facilitating the movement of cocaine shipments from Latin America, exposing the international reach of the operation.

Those convicted faced multiple charges, including drug trafficking, gold smuggling, corruption, forgery, and money laundering. In addition to prison sentences, the court ordered the confiscation of assets and imposed substantial financial penalties on those found guilty.

The scandal has sent shockwaves through Morocco’s political establishment, prompting King Mohammed VI to call for a legally binding parliamentary code of ethics aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, and integrity within the country’s public institutions.