Rabat – A Dutch citizen and alleged associate of Moroccan drug lord Said Chaou was kidnapped in Marbella, Spain on Saturday night.
Witnesses described a “professional” kidnapping when two cars blocked in the man’s Mercedes and eight armed men pointed guns at him. “They were professional people, the ones that took that guy,” a witness told Euro Weekly News.
The Spanish National Police have opened an investigation into the kidnapping and have collected testimonies from the many nervous bystanders who watched the event unfold. “They were completely fearless, they just pulled up, walked over to the man, and pointed a gun at him,” a witness said.
“He went with them without a fight, after all, what was he going to do? There was no rushing or nervousness, calm and calculated they were.”
Said Chaou connection
The kidnapping happened in the car park outside Kah, a popular club and restaurant in Nueva Andalucia, Marbella. Moroccan outlet Hespress reported that the organized nature of the Marbella kidnapping was likely due to the victim’s ties to Moroccan drug lord and former MP Said Chaou.
Said Chaou is a former politician and drug trafficker of Moroccan origin, currently living in the Netherlands.
For years, Moroccan officials have demanded Chaou’s extradition from the Netherlands. The Dutch Supreme Court determined in 2018 that Chaou would not be extradited following a 2017 arrest for “drug trafficking, corruption, and criminal conspiracy.”
Dutch courts claimed Said Chaou would not receive a fair trial in Morocco, saying associates of Chaou had been tortured into providing false testimonies against him. In Morocco, the former MP faces charges of criminal gang formation, corruption, and international drug trafficking.
Chaou fled to the Netherlands in 2017, facing international arrest warrants for criminal conspiracy and international drug trafficking. Moroccan authorities also suspect Chaou has provided financial and logistical support to protesters of the Hirak Rif protest movement.
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