Crime21 August, 20262 min read
Algeria’s National Police Dismantle International Network, Seize 10.4 Million Pregabalin Capsules and 33.4kg Cocaine
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Algerian police dismantled an international drug-trafficking network in a major operation Authorities seized about 10.4 million pregabalin capsules and 33.4 kilograms of cocaine
9 outlets told this the same way.
Drugs, arrests, and raids
Algeria’s National Police dismantled an organised international trafficking network and seized 10.4 million pregabalin capsules and 33.4kg of cocaine in a major operation described as its largest of its kind in a single operation. The operation followed intelligence-gathering launched by investigators in January that uncovered activity by a network operating in western Algeria, with investigators identifying Moroccan drug traffickers and their associates directing the illicit operation from Morocco.
Police carried out simultaneous arrests in Oran, Tizi Ouzou, Algiers, Blida and Tipaza, and arrested 25 people suspected of belonging to the organisation, including one woman and one foreign national. The seized items were valued at approximately 10 billion Algerian dinars, and the haul included 19 vehicles of various types, including a tanker truck with a trailer and three motorcycles, along with more than 15 million Algerian dinars in cash described as proceeds from criminal activity.
Where the network operated
Algerian police said the network included about 50 people, with 25 suspects detained and another 25 remaining at large, while the security operations were carried out in the provinces of Oran, Tipaza, Algiers, Blida, and Tiaret. The police said the raids followed tracking shipments coming from the southern part of the country, and they described the network as directing serious criminal activity from the western part of the country.
In the account published by Africa For Press, investigations began last January and revealed a network of around 50 people, and it said the network’s activity focused in the western region before investigations spread to several cities. The same report said security forces carried out synchronized operations in Algiers, Oran, Tizi Ouzou, Blida, and Tebessa, while investigations continued and the remaining suspects were sought.
Prosecution and money laundering
The suspects were brought before the public prosecutor at the specialised judicial pole in Sidi M’Hamed tribunal, Algiers, on August 20, 2026, according to the National Police. In the statement relayed by آخر خبر, the Sidi Mohamed Public Prosecution said the suspects were indicted through judicial investigation for “the crime of illegally importing, transporting, storing, and possessing for the purpose of selling synthetic drugs and psychotropic substances” and for “money-laundering in connection with a criminal gang.”
After interrogating the suspects by the investigating judge, orders were issued to remand them in custody, and the police described the operation as uncovering serious criminal activity by an organised international network. The operation also involved financial proceeds, with the Dzair Tube report saying the seizures included more than 15 million Algerian dinars in cash described as proceeds from criminal activity and the network relying on members based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to manage and transfer funds and proceeds.