He is suspected of being part of a criminal organization. Drug lord Ridouan Taghi’s eldest son has been arrested by United Arab Emirates authorities and the Netherlands is now demanding his extradition, Dutch prosecutors announced Monday. “Authorities in the United Arab Emirates confirmed to Dutch prosecutors on Monday that 22-year-old Faissal T. was arrested in Dubai,” it said. This arrest “was made at the request of the Netherlands,” they state.
According to Dutch public television, Faissal Taghi is the eldest son of Ridouan Taghi, 45, born in Morocco but raised in the Netherlands. Ridouan Taghi and 16 others are currently awaiting the Amsterdam court’s verdict after a heated trial against the drug lord who is accused by prosecutors of pulling the strings of an organization described as a “killing machine.”
Suspicion of drug trafficking and money laundering
Ridouan Taghi and his accomplices are accused of six murders and four attempted murders. The public prosecutor’s office requested a life sentence against him. He is accused of leading an international organized crime organization, some of whose roots lie in the Benelux countries, and which is commonly referred to as the “Mocro Maffia” because of the Moroccan origins of several of its members. The term actually refers to a number of criminal groups. He was arrested in Dubai in 2019 and extradited to the Netherlands shortly afterwards.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, Faissal Taghi is suspected of being part of a criminal gang related to drug trafficking, but also of being involved in money laundering operations and the preparation of violent crimes. “He has been in custody since his arrest,” they added, assuring that they were “fully confident in the progress of the extradition process.”