A 63-year-old retiree has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Oran Criminal Court of Appeal for smuggling over 675 kilograms of cannabis. The individual was caught red-handed on the East-West highway while transporting the illicit cargo hidden beneath a load of fruit and vegetables. Investigations launched by the Gendarmerie revealed that the drugs were being moved from the Maghnia border area toward the eastern provinces of Algeria. During the trial, the suspect confessed to working for a Moroccan drug lord, receiving 200,000 dinars per delivery. The former public sector employee leveraged his knowledge of border routes to conduct these operations. The prosecution had requested a life sentence for the defendant.