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Join on Telegram Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Education, Preschool, and Sports Chakib Benmoussa has said that Moroccan security services arrested a total of 1,270 people, 53 of whom were minors, for their involvement in drug trafficking near school zones between January and March 2022.
Speaking on Monday during this week’s session of oral questions at the House of Representatives, Benmoussa said his ministry is working hard to combat the phenomenon of drug trafficking in schools and educational institutes, as well as raise awareness among students on the dangers of drug use.
Security services unveiled in the past months 120 cases of illicit drug distribution near schools, the minister revealed, vowing that relevant authorities are jointly working to dismantle networks of drug distribution targeting schools.
More than 240,000 students and 960 associations benefited from the campaigns launched by the education ministry to sensitize against the purchase and use of drugs, Benmoussa added, noting that the ministry is working alongside Moroccan authorities to monitor the surroundings of educational institutes against drug trafficking and other criminal acts.
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has praised Morocco’s efforts against organized crime, including drug trafficking and smuggling networks.
The board highlighted Morocco’s strategic geographical location as a bridge between Africa and Europe, saying that this makes the country a “conduit for smuggling, trafficking in drugs and in persons, money laundering, and clandestine migration.”
According to data from Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGNS), Moroccan police handled 82,952 cases related to the possession and trafficking of drugs in 2021, seizing 191 tons of cannabis and over 1.4 million psychotropic tablets.
Last month, Morocco’s DGNS seized a large quantity of cannabis – 31 tons and 197 kilograms – in Tangier. The suspects intended to traffick the drugs inside plastic vegetables and fruits disguised as agricultural produce.
