Cousin of suspected crime boss Ridouan Taghi arrested in Morocco

On Tuesday, the Moroccan police arrested Jaouad F. on suspicion of involvement in the mistaken identity murder of a high court judge's son. F. is a cousin of alleged Dutch crime boss Ridouan Taghi and considered a close confidant of his, AD reports.

Several "well-informed sources in the criminal environment" confirmed the 27-year-old Breda-born man's arrest in the coastal town of Tetouan to AD. According to these sources, the Moroccan authorities believe F. was involved in the murder of a high-ranking Moroccan judge's son in Marrakesh in November 2017.

Two gunmen had been ordered to kill Mustapha F., a successful drug smuggler and known rival of Taghi, according to the judiciary. But they ended up killing the judge's son, a 26-year-old medical student, by mistake. The young student was unlucky in that he was dressed similarly to Mustapha F. and sat in a chair the alleged drug trafficker had vacated a short time before. The two gunmen were arrested and sentenced to death. The Moroccan authorities are still hunting for others involved, including a suspect in the Marengo trial around Taghi, for whom Morocco had filed an extradition request. Taghi's brother was also convicted in this case.

The Dutch authorities are also looking for Jaouad F., according to AD. His name appears in many major criminal investigations, including the Marengo process, though he is not currently prosecuted in that trial.

The Public Prosecution Service declined to answer AD's questions about F.'s arrest, referring the newspaper to the Moroccan authorities.