Bangladesh, June 25 -- Nearly two years after French authorities first sought his extradition, Abdelkader Bouguettaia-one of Frances most wanted drug traffickers-has finally been returned to face justice. The 37-year-old French-Algerian citizen, known by the alias “Bibi,” was handed over to French officials by the United Arab Emirates late last week, ending a lengthy legal and diplomatic saga that highlighted the challenges of cross-border law enforcement cooperation.

Bouguettaias return to French soil comes under an Interpol red notice and culminates a multi-year international manhunt. Upon arrival in France, he was immediately charged with organizing a major transatlantic cocaine smuggling operation in 2020 that transported...