The seizure was a collaborative operation with Morocco’s General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
Rabat – Moroccan police seized on June 17 at the Tangier-Med Port 5,400 tablets of psychotropic pills of the Rivotril type.
The operation led to the arrest of three suspects, including two drivers of international transport, said a statement from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN).
The psychotropic pills on board a truck were destined for drug trafficking in Morocco.
The suspects have alleged links with a network active in international drug trafficking, including psychotropics.
Research and investigation enabled police to arrest the three suspects.
Police searched the house of the main suspect in the Bni Makada district, which allowed police to seize 1.83 kilograms of cocaine, five mobile phones, knives, a motorcycle, and a sum of MAD 45,500 ($4,700) suspectedly obtained from criminal activities.
Police put the suspects in custody for further investigation to determine the circumstances of the case and to arrest all other possible suspects involved in the case.
The operation is part of Morocco’s efforts to combat drug trafficking.
A recent report from the Customs and Indirect Tax Administration (ADII) shows that Morocco’s customs staff seized 690,000 psychotropic tablets, such as ecstasy, amphetamines, and Rivotril, in 2019.
Customs also seized 119 tons of cannabis resin and 63 grams of “hard drugs” during the same year.
Beyond its customs administration, the DGSN report said Morocco’s police seized hard 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, over the course of 2019.
Police also seized 179,657 tons of cannabis and its derivatives during the same year.