Spain Accidentally Releases Drug Lord Who Plotted to Kill the Heir to the Throne

Mocro Maffia leader Karim Bouyakhrichan was arrested in Marbella last January in a major operation that ended a five-year investigation into money laundering.

After learning of Karim Bouyakhrichan’s arrest, 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 drug-trafficking charges.

The National Court in Madrid approved the request, but the Provincial Court in Málaga, which has jurisdiction over the area where Bouyakhrichan was arrested, refused to enforce it, arguing that the drug “lord” would have to face money laundering charges in Spain , before being extradited to another country.

Dutch authorities appealed, quickly filing a new application that revealed the cartel boss was one of Interpol’s most wanted criminals for his role in a pan-continental drug war over the past decade in which dozens of people have were killed in Belgium, Holland, Spain and Morocco.

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

When his money-laundering case came up for an initial hearing at the Málaga Provincial Court last month, the 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, making himself invisible.

Princess Amalia, on Bouyakhrichan’s list

In 2022, the Dutch princess Amalia had to withdraw from the student compound and return to the royal palace after the police obtained credible evidence indicating that Bouyakhrichan was planning to either kidnap or assassinate the heir to the throne.

Freeing the cartel boss will likely require a tightening of security protocols put in place to protect the safety of the princess, as well as political leaders, including acting prime minister Mark Rutte, who Dutch station De Telegraaf reported is on the “target” list high level of Bouyakhrichan.

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