In the early hours of Monday, the Casablanca Prefectural Judicial Police, in close coordination with the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), successfully foiled a major international drug trafficking operation, resulting in the seizure of 18 tons and 243 kilograms of cannabis in the coastal area of Sidi Rahal.
According to a statement from the General Direction of National Security (DGSN), this joint security operation led to the apprehension of five individuals caught red-handed transporting the seized drugs aboard a large international freight transport truck.
The same source explains that the suspects were attempting to load the seized drugs onto three high-speed zodiac boats to transport them by sea from Sidi Rahal beach, near Casablanca.
Search operations conducted on-site led to the seizure of a large number of fuel jerrycans, as well as high-powered marine engines, three high-speed zodiacs, air pumps, a satellite telephone, and a large truck used for the transportation of drugs overland.
The five suspects were taken into custody for the ongoing investigation ordered by the public prosecutor’s office to determine the ramifications and potential links of this criminal network at the national and international levels, as well as to arrest all suspects involved in this criminal activity.
According to the statement, this large-scale security operation is part of the joint efforts of the DGSN and DGST services to dismantle cross-border crime networks, particularly those involved in international drug trafficking.
Since the enactment of a law in 2021 on the legal uses of cannabis, the Moroccan parliament voted to legalize the drug for medical, as well as cosmetic and industrial purposes.
In efforts to mitigate illegal recreational cannabis use, Moroccan police recorded and processed 99,513 cases of drug smuggling in 2023. In the same year, they also arrested 130,212 individuals implicated in illicit drug trafficking activities.
Source:
