New York indicts three traffickers arrested in Morocco

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York has indicted three international drug traffickers, following their arrest by Morocco's National Brigade of Judicial Police (BNPJ) in Marrakech last April. The trio, linked to global networks trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, and involved in money laundering, were apprehended as part of a collaborative effort between Moroccan and U.S. authorities.

The accused, identified as Xiang Gao from China, Oleksandr Klochkov from Ukraine, and Igors Kricfalusijs from Lithuania, were detained on April 17 under international arrest warrants issued by U.S. authorities. They were subsequently extradited to the United States, where they faced a magistrate in the Southern District of New York, a jurisdiction known for handling some of America's most critical cases.

The arrests, executed during coordinated security operations in Marrakech, underscore the robust bilateral cooperation between Moroccan and U.S. security services. The defendants, aged 22 to 25, face charges in New York for conspiring to traffic and distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine in the U.S., alongside laundering the proceeds of their illicit activities.

The successful apprehension of these traffickers was attributed to the vigilant and responsive efforts of Moroccan security services, committed to pursuing individuals wanted for transnational crimes.

«Fentanyl and its analogues continue to inflict catastrophic harm on New Yorkers. The defendants allegedly sought to bypass our efforts to stop these deadly substances from entering the country,» stated Acting United States Attorney Edward Y. Kim in a press release.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized, «Those responsible for flooding our country with fentanyl must answer for their crimes.»

DEA Administrator Anne Milgram remarked that the charges against these high-level fentanyl brokers highlight the DEA’s dedication to dismantling the global fentanyl supply chain. «The defendants brokered ton-quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine precursors from China, fully aware these chemicals would inundate American communities with deadly drugs,» she noted, adding that their indictment serves as a stark warning to drug traffickers worldwide.