“The Professor”, a major French drug trafficker, was arrested at Beirut airport in Lebanon

Nicknamed “the professor”, Abdel Karim Touil was arrested on the evening of Sunday March 17 at Beirut airport, in Lebanon, franceinfo learned from the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office, confirming information from The Obs. According to a source close to the case, the man of Tunisian origin was in possession of an Algerian identity document at the time of his arrest. Considered to be one of the most important French drug traffickers, he was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by France.

“The professor” involved in a cocaine trafficking case in Gironde

Abdel Karim Touil was wanted in connection with a case in Gironde. In October 2023, he was convicted in his absence by the Bordeaux court for his participation in the importation of a shipment of 730 kg of cocaine. The 730 kg of cocaine were hidden in a cargo of wood coming from Brazil and had been delivered by mistake to a company in Montussan in Gironde.

He escaped extradition from Dubai last fall. At the same time, in October 2023, the Minister of the Interior visited the United Arab Emirates. “Rich exchanges around our security and judicial cooperation, the fight against drug traffickers and the contribution of new technologies to the fight against delinquency”had written Gérald Darmanin on the social network. He had announced the imminent arrival of a “liaison magistrate” French on site, in order to facilitate the extradition of French nationals arrested for drug trafficking.