He had escaped, in March 2019, a large net in Montpellier.
But this time, this alleged head of drug trafficking between the Hérault and the Rhône, could not escape the investigators.
This 35-year-old man was arrested on November 19 in Morocco, the Rhône Public Security announced on Tuesday in a press release.
He has since been the subject of an extradition request initiated by the French authorities.
The traffic he is suspected of having directed had been dismantled in a district of Villefranche-sur-Saône on March 29, 2019 after several months of investigation.
"The main suspects appeared to be in close contact with a member of their family established in Montpellier, suspected of being at the head of the network, and subject to a European arrest warrant following a conviction handed down by the judicial court de Grasse (Alpes-Maritimes) in June 2017 ”, specifies the DDSP.
Hitting police vehicles
Searches in the Rhône and Montpellier resulted in the seizure of 506 kg of cannabis resin, a sum of 281,500 euros in cash and three large caliber handguns.
Eight suspects had been indicted by the investigating judge of the Villefranche-sur-Saône judicial court and seven imprisoned.
But the main suspect had managed to flee by car, then deliberately colliding with two police vehicles and seriously injuring an official of the Lyon narcotics squad - on foot - by rushing on her.
Attempted homicide prosecutions had been joined to the drug trafficking proceedings.
The investigating judge then issued a European arrest warrant, accompanied by an Interpol red notice inviting any member state of the international police organization to arrest the fugitive, likely to have traveled to North Africa according to investigations.
Information recently confirmed by investigators, which led to his arrest.