Sabri Nakhnoukh was ordered detained for prosecution after ten hours of police interrogation in Alexandria.[/caption]
When the police finally swooped in, they were astonished at what they saw.
Tucked away in an upscale neighbourhood of Alexandria, the gangster’s headquarters looked like a place Al Pacino’s Scarface could have called home.
Inside the four storey villa – beyond the swimming pool surrounded by tall, protective trees – was a veritable playboy’s palace. The mini bar stocked to the brim with Malibu, vodka and bottle after bottle of expensive wine; the makeshift dance floor complete with mirrored walls and plush leather sofas.
There was more. Officers also discovered a large cache of unlicensed weapons, ammunition and machetes. Drugs and bundles of cash were discovered on the premises, along with evidence of an extensive prostitution ring.
Extraordinarily, five lions were also discovered at the villa – a terrifying safeguard should any unwanted intruders find their way inside.
This was the home of Sabri Nakhnoukh, a man who has since been dubbed by the Egyptian media as the "King of the Thug"s.
Suspected of being one of Egypt’s most notorious gangland bosses, Nakhnoukh went on trial today facing drugs and illegal firearms charges.
Outside the Alexandria court where the case is being heard, a number of his supporters gathered carrying “We are all Sabry Nakhnoukh” signs.
Yet if the Egyptian newspapers are to be believed, the suspect in this high profile case was one of Hosni Mubarak’s most feared henchmen of the past decade.
Often called upon to do the former regime’s bidding, Nakhnoukh and his legions of supporters were responsible for browbeating Mubarak’s political opposition into submission.
And if such talk seems like speculation, here it is from the horse’s mouth in an interview given by Nakhnoukh to the Egyptian newspaper, Al-Mesryoon, after his arrest.
In it, he admitted fixing elections for Mubarak by dispatching his goons to intimidate voters.
“I am the one who led the electoral process since year 2000 and I used thousands of my men to get the job done,” Nakhnoukh said.
“I have always maintained very strong ties with the Ministry of Interior at the time of Habib al-Adli. Ministry officials used to visit me in my mansion in Alexandria. What has changed now?
“[Habib al-Adli] knew how powerful and well-connected I am and that is why he assigned me the mission of securing elections,” he added.
It might not do much for his defense, but Nakhnoukh’s arrest and his subsequent admissions shed a fascinating light on the modus operandi of the Mubarak regime.
