05-05-2025
Guinea-Bissau PM's adviser arrested in Spain on drug charges, police say
Spanish police have arrested a special adviser to the prime minister of Guinea-Bissau, on the island of Tenerife in an investigation into suspected corruption and drug trafficking involving police officers, authorities said on Friday.
Following Wednesday's arrest, a court in Tenerife ordered that Lebanon-born Mohamed Jamil Derbah, who is a Tenerife resident, be remanded in jail without bail as the suspected leader of a crime ring, while others were released.
"Nine people were arrested on Wednesday in an operation by police internal affairs. Two were retired police officers and one is serving," a Spanish National Police spokesperson said on Friday.
Guinea-Bissau's prime minister, Rui Duarte de Barros, appointed Derbah as his special aide and a permanent member of the International Relations and Trade Commission in 2024.
The prime minister's office did not respond to requests for comment.
