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Rabat – The Royal Moroccan Navy foiled a drug trafficking operation while on a patrol mission in the Mediterranean early on Monday morning.
The navy unit embarked on a chase with an inflatable boat carrying a “significant quantity” of drugs, a military source told Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).
The coast guard, in pursuit of four suspects, fired warning shots during the chase.
The units were forced to open fire at the boat’s engine.
The operation resulted in the death of one of the suspects and injured a second suspect.
Security services brought the suspects to the port of Tangier and handed them to local authorities.
Another unit of the Royal Navy aborted a second drug trafficking operation off the coast of Assilah, northern Morocco, at around 6:00 am, the source said.
The royal navy arrested for suspects involved in the operation and seized “a large quantity of drugs,” the military source added.
Operations led by security services enabled the police to seize 179,657 tons of cannabis and its derivatives in 2019, according to the annual report from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN).
The number represents an increase of 127 tons compared to the previous year.
Police also seized harder drugs, including 542,455 kilograms of cocaine, 7,196 kilograms of heroin, and 1,407,451 psychotropic tablets, including 974,983 ecstasy tablets imported from Europe.
