Morocco seeks extradition of 'drug trafficker'

Morocco is seeking the extradition of an alleged drug trafficker from The Netherlands and has summoned its envoy at The Hague to return home for consultations. The Foreign Ministry did not identify the suspect, but a senior government official named him as Said Chaou, a former lawmaker who backs the independence of the Rif region hit by weeks of protests. A report on the News24 site note that Chaou reportedly posted messages online in support of demonstrators who have been demanding an end to corruption and jobs for the mainly Berber Rif region. A Foreign Ministry statement said Rabat has asked The Hague to extradite ‘a notorious drug trafficker’ who allegedly funds ‘some groups in northern Morocco’.