Trial of international network of drug traffickers in western Algeria

A court in Oran (west of Algeria ) Wednesday sentenced 20 suspects to life in prison along a Libyan and 4 others at large while it passed sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on 5 convicts in addition to three years’ imprisonment on another one.

The defendants were charged of drug trafficking, burglary and criminal conspiracy. While the judge proposed a sentence for life against the defendants, the convicts’ lawyers mentioned a series of flaws in the procedures and accused the security authorities of torture practices against their clients.

The security services put an end to this international network specialized in drug trafficking starting from Morocco passing by Algeria to end in the Libyan territory. In February 2007 some 7 quintals of drug have been seized by the security services on its way from Morocco to Libya .