In a collaborative effort between UAE and Dutch authorities, Faissal Taghi, the oldest son of the infamous Dutch drug lord, Ridouan Taghi, was arrested in Dubai, as confirmed by Dutch prosecutors on Monday.
The arrest was made upon the request of the Dutch government, who is now seeking his extradition to face criminal charges, Al Arabiya reported.
The 22-year-old is suspected to be involved in a criminal organization specializing in drug smuggling, along with engagement in money laundering and planning violent crimes.
Details of his criminal activities remain scant as prosecutors withheld further information.
Faissal is the eldest son of Moroccan-born Ridouan Taghi, 45, a known mastermind behind one of Netherlands’ largest cocaine distribution networks. Ridouan Taghi, who was the most-wanted individual in the Netherlands at one point, was apprehended in Dubai in 2019 and swiftly extradited to the Netherlands to face a series of charges including leading a criminal organization involved in murder, which prosecutors referred to as a “well-oiled killing machine.”
Taghi senior is currently facing a historic trial at a secure facility on the outskirts of Amsterdam, dubbed “The Bunker”, where he is charged with orchestrating at least six assassinations, four attempted murders, and planning six more killings.
Prosecutors in the trial, unprecedented in Dutch history and raising concerns of the Netherlands morphing into a narco-state, are urging for life sentences for Taghi and five others, citing their involvement in a relentless campaign of assassinations.
The defense team for Taghi has pushed back against these allegations, asserting insufficient evidence to tie him to the charged crimes and advocating for his release.
As the extradition process for Faissal Taghi commences, Dutch prosecutors maintain “full confidence” in the forthcoming procedure, affirming that he has been in custody since his arrest.
The arrest and anticipated extradition mark another significant development in the ongoing “Marengo trial” — a legal proceeding that has shocked the Dutch nation with several killings linked to key witnesses, including the assassination of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, who played an advisory role to a chief witness in the trial.