At one point, authorities believed that approximately one in 10 joints smoked by Spaniards contain hashish trafficked by Ahmed and his organisation.
His case reached the Criminal Chamber of the National Court, after the appeals made by Ricardo Ossorio, his long-time lawyer.
On 21 August 2003, Ahmed was arrested in Morocco after a gunfight with a rival gang that left one of King Mohammed VI's bodyguards wounded.
[6][7] He was captured on 23 April 2008 by the Servicio de Vigilancia Aduanera in Ceuta and arrested on drug smuggling and bribery charges.
Spanish police detained four suspects believed to have been on the motorboat that allegedly ambushed Ahmed's, but they refused to make statements and were promptly released.