He went by the name of "Partymaster." According to European police forces, the Dutch national's game was large-scale cocaine trafficking. Jamal B., aged 31, was a target of "very high international standing," a crimelord in the Mocro Maffia groups – a claim disputed by his family. He lived between Dubai and Andalusia, Spain, where he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. It was here, at the bend in a side street in Marbella's Puerto Banus marina, that his rise among the "narcos" came to an end, on the evening of August 22, 2020. He was returning from an evening out at a restaurant, in his Mercedes-AMG off-road vehicle, with his wife and children.

Under the pretext of a routine traffic check, eight men disguised as police officers stopped the vehicle, extracted the driver, beat him up and took off with him. Jamal B. has not been heard from since. His accomplices have lost the Partymaster. But in the "narco" world, such a kidnapping cannot go unanswered for long.

His family, who describe him as an honest businessman with a successful real estate career, are conducting their own investigation with the help of a private detective. They are offering a €100,000 reward for any information leading to the whereabouts of the missing young father. But they're not the only ones who are worried. On encrypted messaging platforms used for organizing trafficking operations, his closest contacts are taking action themselves.

Among these users, predominantly Dutch-speaking, a small group of associates communicates in the French language. Access to their discussions by law enforcement agencies, combined with surveillance and audio recordings, provides additional evidence of French traffickers' collaboration with the Mocro Maffia, criminal groups composed partly of Moroccan-origin Dutch individuals who started in the cannabis market and then established themselves in cocaine trafficking in northern Europe.

The case illustrates the numerous connections between criminal teams from diverse backgrounds that maneuver around borders, engaging in conflict or business according to business interests, and outlines the dimensions of globalized organized crime.

For several months, Dutch, Belgian and French investigators accessed conversations between users of the EncroChat encrypted messaging system. It was primarily through this channel that Jamal B., username "Partymaster" but also nicknamed "Lambo," issued his orders, placed orders, and oversaw the security of an illicit trade estimated to be worth several million euros per year.

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