Rabat – Judicial police of Agadir, along Morocco’s southern Atlantic coast, aborted on Sunday a drug trafficking operation and seized 4.85 tons of cannabis resin.
The July 19 operation took place in collaboration with the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), said a statement from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN).
The alleged traffickers hid the drugs in two separate pickup trucks, the statement said.
Police officers intercepted the first vehicle at the entrance of Ait Melloul, 20 kilometers from Agadir, using a spike strip. The truck carried 2.34 tons of cannabis resin, packed below a quantity of watermelons.
The truck’s driver, a 52-year-old man, will remain in custody pending investigations.
Security services intercepted the second vehicle in the region of Klia, 30 kilometers from Ait Melloul, and arrested its driver. The truck carried 1.74 tons of cannabis resin.
Preliminary investigations following the simultaneous arrest operations led to seizing more drugs. Police also seized sums of money and mobile phones allegedly used in the drug trafficking operation.
Investigations to identify potential accomplices of the two suspects are ongoing, the DGSN statement concluded.
Cannabis resin, also known as kif in Morocco, is a dried preparation of the cannabis plant, mainly smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes. It is the most used drug in the country.
According to the latest DGSN annual report, security services seized nearly 180,000 tons of cannabis and its derivatives in 2019.
Police officers also arrested more than 420,000 suspects on charges of drug trafficking in 2019. Over 331,000 of the suspects carried drugs at the time of the arrest, while nearly 90,000 were arrested following arrest warrants.
