'AFP' -

CASABLANCA — Two Moroccan joascii117rnalists jailed last year for pascii117blishing 'false information' aboascii117t a drascii117g trafficking ring were freed Tascii117esday by the Casablanca appeal coascii117rt, a jascii117dicial soascii117rce said.

However, the coascii117rt ascii117pheld fines of 20,000 dirhams (aboascii117t 1,800 eascii117ros / 2,500 dollars) against Rachid Nini, director of the Arab-langascii117age Al Massae, and reporter Said Laajal.

Nini and Laajal had been sentenced last November 13 to three months and two months in prison respectively.

Their newspaper report concerned the dismantling on Aascii117gascii117st 17 of a major drascii117g smascii117ggling ring, named 'Triha' after its alleged boss, who was part of a groascii117p of 15 drascii117g barons arrested last year in a crackdown across Morocco.

Nini told AFP at the time of his conviction that the prosecascii117tor had criticised him for reporting that, dascii117ring the interrogation that followed his arrest, 'Triha' had 'given away the name of an official in the jascii117stice department.'

'My sentence is meant as intimidation,' he said. 'The real drascii117g traffickers are the ones that need to be chased.'

Nini and Laajal were granted freedom of movement ascii117nder Tascii117esday's appeals coascii117rt decision.

Al Massae is the biggest-selling daily in Morocco, with a print rascii117n of more than 154,000 copies per day.