La Policía marroquí frustra una operación internacional de tráfico de droga
The fight against drug trafficking in Morocco is one of the main concerns of the country's main police authorities. Hundreds of anti-drug trafficking operations are stopped every year, many of them destined to end up outside the Kingdom's borders. Recent investigations have enabled the Moroccan police to foil an international narcotics sales operation, in which three individuals operating out of a workshop in the Beni Makada district of Tangier were arrested.
The Directorate General of National Security (DGSN), in charge of this type of operation, issued a communiqué confirming the news of the police success. According to the department, the drugs were found in an alleged workshop, where the arrested persons disguised the shipment by storing it inside wooden boards that were destined for international export.
Following the raid, police in the UK estimate that 2.1 tonnes of drugs were seized inside the premises, although the extraction of the drugs has not yet been completed and the quantity could be much larger. The drugs extracted are a shipment of chira, or more commonly known as cannabis resin, also known as sativa.
The accused, according to the official sources in charge of the investigation, apparently carried out their modus operandi by drilling a hole in wooden boards, where they hollowed them out and then introduced the marijuana shipment. Afterwards, in order to avoid any inconvenience and not to be discovered, the DGNS claims that the criminals used chemicals to coat the hole, and also the substances, and thus, they were able to pass unnoticed by police controls when leaving the country.
The three drug traffickers are in custody and are being held pending legal proceedings. One of them is accused of being the leader of the operation, while the other two are charged as accomplices. The prosecutor's office is trying to identify the national and international ramifications of this criminal network in order to see how far it has spread.
Concern about international drug trafficking is an issue that keeps the Alawi country on edge. Each year, the amount of drugs collected by the police is increasing and the criminal networks operating with these substances are becoming more numerous. The police authorities are struggling to cope with the fight against drug trafficking.
During December 2021, police services have carried out several operations against drug trafficking. One of them, according to the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance, seized more than three tonnes of chira in a vehicle near the city of Tarudant, which was to be loaded onto a boat for further distribution. In November, another operation by the Royal Navy was also thwarted, seizing two tonnes of chira that was destined to be smuggled to Europe off the coast of Larache.
Morocco and Spain's successful collaboration against drug trafficking has recently become known. Recently, the services of the two countries involved in this matter dismantled a dangerous international network distributing hallucinogenic 'karkubi' pills. This type of substance has become fashionable in the wake of the pandemic, and cases are increasingly being seen in connection with it. It is a potentially dangerous compound, made by mixing various drugs such as barbiturates and anti-epileptics with other drugs such as hashish powder, which creates hallucinogenic effects. Its price is quite cheap, so its sale is on a worrying upswing.
The authorities have seized more than 200,000 tablets arriving in Spain in this operation, although it is estimated that the figure could grow to 500,000. The police arrested eight people in the Spanish cities of Lleida, Madrid and Alicante, including the leader of the organisation, who have already been brought before the courts.