Police in Ceuta have captured Ahmed Mohamed Taieb, North Africa’s most important hashish baron.
Ahmed Mohamed Taieb, also known as ‘El Nene’, had been on the run since December after escaping from the maximum security prison in Kenitra, about 40 kilometres from Rabat. He escaped from prison by bribing the guards.
It seems that El Nene had been in Ceuta for several weeks using one of his many aliases but was being monitored by the authorities as they made absolutely sure it was him before making the arrest.
El Nene began his career in drug trafficking during his teens and rose to become the richest and most influential in North Africa. Yet another of his nicknames was ‘King of Ketama’, the region in the north around Tetuán with the greatest production of cannabis. His personal fortune, a matter he liked to boast about, is estimated at around 30 million euros.
In August 2003 he was sentenced to eight years in prison for international drugs trafficking and sent to the maximum security prison in Kenitra.
During his time in prison, while other inmates were crammed into cells, El Nene had three cells for his own personal use complete with air conditioning, plasma screen TV, DVD and a computer with internet access and, thanks to generous donations to guards and other officials, was basically allowed to come and go as he pleased.