Six members of an international criminal network were sentenced to heavy sentences by the criminal chamber of the Court of First Instance of Tunis. The defendants, involved in the transport and laundering of cocaine imported from Europe, each receive 30 years in prison, reports Diwan fm.
The case, revealed after a spectacular seizure at the port of La Goulette, highlights one of the most structured drug trafficking cases judged recently in the capital.
Heavy sentences for a structured network
The verdict fell on Monday: six defendants were found guilty of organizing the entry into Tunisia of cocaine transported from a European country. The arrests took place when officers at the port of La Goulette discovered 10 kg of cocaine hidden in the tires of a vehicle, a method of camouflage revealing the degree of sophistication of the network.
According to the investigation, the suspects themselves carried out the transport, delivery and initial distribution operations before ensuring the recycling of the funds resulting from the sale.
Profits recycled in businesses in the capital
The confessions recorded in the file confirm that the income from trafficking was used to acquire several businesses located in strategic districts of Tunis.
These establishments, used to launder drug money, were the subject of immediate seizures by the judicial authorities. This real estate and commercial strategy aimed to hide the network’s financial flows and secure regular income for its members.
This conviction comes at a time when the Tunisian authorities are increasing dismantling operations linked to transnational cocaine trafficking, often orchestrated from Europe and transiting through Tunisian ports.
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