Nearly two years after he was first slated for extradition, the United Arab Emirates has handed over a French national wanted on drug trafficking charges to French authorities.
Abdelkader Bouguettaia, a 37-year-old French-Algerian citizen, was extradited from Dubai to France on end of last week under an Interpol red notice. He is suspected of organizing a 2020 operation that smuggled 2.5 tons of cocaine from Cartagena, Colombia, to the French port of Le Havre.
Bouguettaia, known by the nickname “Bibi,” was charged upon his arrival in France. He had previously been convicted in absentia three times by French courts since 2022, including a nine-year sentence in 2023 for importing 599 kilograms of cocaine seized in Antwerp, Belgium.
Born in northern France, Bouguettaia has been known to French authorities for drug-related offenses since his teenage years.
His extradition follows an earlier arrest in Dubai in October 2023, during a visit by then French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. However, Emirati authorities released him in January 2024 after French officials failed to complete the extradition paperwork within the required 40-day window.
French Justice Minister Darmanin confirmed the extradition in a message on X. “A new drug criminal has been extradited to France by the United Arab Emirates,” he wrote. “Convicted three times by the French courts between 2022 and 2023 and subject to two arrest warrants, he will be held accountable for his actions.”
