Nearly two years after French authorities first sought his extradition, Abdelkader Bouguettaia-one of France’s most wanted drug traffickers-has finally been returned to face justice. The 37-year-old French-Algerian citizen, known by the alias “Bibi,” was handed over to French officials by the United Arab Emirates late last week, ending a lengthy legal and diplomatic saga that highlighted the challenges of cross-border law enforcement cooperation.

Bouguettaia’s return to French soil comes under an Interpol red notice and culminates a multi-year international manhunt. Upon arrival in France, he was immediately charged with organizing a major transatlantic cocaine smuggling operation in 2020 that transported approximately 2.5 tons of cocaine from Cartagena, Colombia, to the French port city of Le Havre. French investigators believe Bouguettaia played a central role in orchestrating the shipment, which marked one of the largest drug hauls in French history.

Born in northern France, Bouguettaia was well known to French authorities long before his international exploits. He has had a lengthy criminal record linked to drug trafficking, with offenses dating back to his teenage years. Authorities say he rose through the ranks of the French narcotics underworld,........

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