French investigators charged two men Friday after their extradition from Morocco in a major drug trafficking probe that links Spain and France, according to the prosecutor’s office in Toulouse.
Authorities identified the suspects as French nationals, ages 27 and 28. Prosecutor David Charmatz said investigators accuse them of drug trafficking, organized importation of narcotics, and organized money laundering from January 2021 to February 2024.
Charmatz said the two men belong to the upper ranks of the “Arai Farmers,” a network that operates from Barcelona under leaders based in Morocco. The group relied on Telegram to coordinate its activities.
French authorities issued a European arrest warrant for the suspects in April 2024 after they fled to Morocco.
Investigators said four men led the network. Police arrested one of them in June upon his return to France after 18 months in Morocco.
Officers also arrested two others in Morocco in February 2025. Both men returned to France and were placed in custody in Toulouse on Friday. Investigators continue to work on the extradition of other fugitives.
The investigation began after a 2021 attempted assassination. The case prompted the Toulouse gendarmerie’s research unit to open a wide-ranging probe. Investigators carried out two waves of arrests; 40 people now face charges, and 15 remain in detention.
Prosecutors said the network supplied local delivery operations and organized shipments to several French cities. Investigators found “appartements nourriciers” in the Toulouse area that stored the drugs. Couriers moved cocaine from Barcelona in vehicles equipped with hydraulic compartments and altered fuel tanks.
French investigators worked with Spain’s Guardia Civil. The inquiry uncovered money laundering channels that relied on false invoices and cryptocurrency transfers.
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.
