Rabat – Morocco’s customs services and the Regional Directorate of Casablanca-Settat recently thwarted an attempt to illegally export nearly 200 kilograms of geological artifacts.
A statement from the Customs and Tax Administration (ADII) announced on Thursday that customs services discovered the loot during a control operation carried out in a warehouse and customs clearance area (MEAD).
The shipment was carefully concealed among packages containing stone works, legally declared.
ADII’s statement said the nature of the artifacts presented for export from Morocco raised doubts among customs officers due to their historical value.
Customs took the items for expert evaluation, which showed that Morocco banned the seized artifacts for export.
The items included unworked teeth and bones from jaws, vertebrae ribs, and femurs of vertebrates that are part of the national geological heritage.
ADII vowed that the mobilization of customs officials remains intact to contribute to the protection of the national heritage. It is combating the trafficking of objects and articles of art or antiquity forming part of the country’s cultural, historical, and geological heritage.
