Karim Harrat trial in Marseille: drug trafficking and flight to Morocco
The trial of Karim Harrat, a suspected Marseille drug baron arrested in Casablanca in 2021, opened on Monday before the Marseille judicial tribunal.
Karim Harrat before the courts: from Sky ECC network to the witness stand
The trial of Karim Harrat opened on Monday 26 January before the Marseille judicial tribunal, reports Bladi.net. Nicknamed "Le Rant", the 37-year-old man in his forties is being prosecuted for organising a vast drug distribution network covering the northern districts of Marseille through to the Alpes-Maritimes.
Harrat is appearing alongside four co-accused. The Anti-Narcotics Office (OFAST) presents him as a trafficker of international notoriety, who became independent after having collaborated with the founders of the "DZ Mafia" gang. The investigation is based on the analysis of thousands of messages exchanged via the encrypted messaging service Sky ECC, under the pseudonym "Diego Costa", revealing a structured hierarchy and transactions involving large quantities of cannabis resin and cocaine.
Among the dealing points targeted are notably the Bassens housing estate in Marseille as well as networks operating in Nice. Investigators also identified a network of "lieutenants" and logistics personnel responsible for storage, reselling encrypted phones and collecting funds. The searches carried out during the dismantling of the group in December 2022 had made it possible to seize luxury items and high-end watches.
Karim Harrat's judicial history is marked by several years on the run. Arrested on 14 November 2021 at Casablanca airport in Morocco, he was placed in provisional detention before being transferred, in summer 2025, to the high-security prison of Vendin-le-Vieil. The accused denies the facts alleged against him, despite seized accounting evidence showing sums exceeding 300,000 euros. His criminal record lists fourteen convictions for theft and violence, but at this stage mentions no conviction for drug trafficking.
The verdict is expected on Thursday 29 January. This judgment constitutes only a first judicial stage for Harrat: he will have to appear again in the autumn before the assize court for a triple homicide committed in 2020.
Source: Bladi.net