Spain freed the leader of a drug cartel due to a miscarriage of justice/ He planned to kill the heir to the Dutch throne and Prime Minister Mark Rutte

A famous cartel boss who allegedly planned to kill the heir to the Dutch throne and Prime Minister Mark Rutte escaped prison due to a miscarriage of justice in Spain, writes Politico.

Mocro Maffia cartel leader Karim Bouyakhrichan was arrested in Marbella last January in a major operation that ended a five-year money laundering investigation. After learning of his detention, Dutch authorities filed an extradition request with the National Court of Spain, requesting that the gang leader be sent back to the Netherlands to face charges related to his drug-trafficking empire.

The National Court in Madrid gave the green light to the request, but the Provincial Court in Malaga, which has jurisdiction over the area where Bouyakhrichan was arrested, refused to enforce it, arguing that the drug lord had to face money laundering charges in Spain before being extradited elsewhere.

Dutch authorities appealed, filing a new urgent request, pointing out that the cartel boss was one of Interpol’s most wanted criminals and was wanted for his role in a pan-continental drug war that has lasted a decade and which dozens of people were killed in Belgium, Holland, Spain and Morocco.

Spanish radio network Cadena SER revealed on Tuesday that while the National Court accepted the Dutch appeal, it failed to issue a detention order that would have ensured Bouyakhrichan remains behind bars pending extradition.

Last month, when his money-laundering case came up for a first hearing at the Malaga Provincial Court, the presiding judge agreed to release the gang boss on €50,000 bail. Bouyakhrichan, a billionaire who owns bank accounts and properties around the world, immediately paid the money and left town. Authorities have not seen him since.

In 2022, Dutch Princess Amalia was forced to move out of her student housing complex and return to the royal palace after police obtained credible evidence that Bouyakhrichan planned to either kidnap or assassinate the heiress the throne.

Freeing the cartel boss will likely require a tightening of security protocols put in place to protect her safety, as well as political leaders, including acting Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported is on a list of possible high-profile targets high of Bouyakhrichan.