Rabat – Morocco’s Administration of Customs and Indirect Taxes (ADII) has announced that its staff members have seized a total of 8,342 kilograms of cannabis resin at the ports of Casablanca and Tangier Med since October 11.
The ADII recalled the major drug seizure operations conducted by Moroccan security services during the month of October in a statement published on Wednesday, October 16.
The customs staff, in collaboration with specialized members of the national police, seized 142 kilograms of cannabis resin on Friday, October 11.
The statement added that security services also seized six tons of cannabis resin in the crossing point of Guerguerat on Monday, October 14.
On Monday, October 14 customs services in collaboration with national police also seized two tons of cannabis resin in the Tangier Med port.
The ADII said that the operations are part of the implementation of a strategy seeking to fight against drug trafficking.
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The customs office said that in May that its staff seized 19.2 tons of cannabis resin in 2018, 14.7 tons less than the number of cannabis resins seized in 2017 ( 33.7 tons).
In addition to customs, Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) has also been intensifying efforts to crackdown drug trafficking attempts.
On September 19, governor of the judicial police Mohamed Dkhissi said that police seized 112 tons and 138 kilograms of cannabis and its derivatives from January 1 to September 15.
He added that security services also seized 1,161,000 psychotropic pills and 44 kilograms of cocaine.
Dkhissi said that police arrested 420,348 people on charges of drug trafficking during the same period.
He emphasized that there has been a “significant” increase of 40% in the number of drug trafficking cases.
“There was a similar increase in the number of people arrested [for trafficking drugs] by 50 percent, with 94,010 people arrested, including 308 foreigners, while 62,839 people were arrested in the same period last year.”
