Rabat – Moroccan police in Oued Zem, a city 156 kilometers from Casablanca, thwarted a drug trafficking operation – arresting four suspects linked to an international network involved in drug and psychotropic substance trafficking.
The arrest was based on precise intelligence provided by the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST). During the operation, police seized 3.85 tons of cannabis that was concealed in two utility vehicles during simultaneous police operations near Oued Zem.
The suspects were armed with bladed weapons and refused to comply and violently resisted the arrest.
A police officer was forced to fire a warning shot with his service weapon to neutralize the threat.
A search operation in the vehicles enabled police to seize several bundles of cannabis, weapons, and fake license plates.
The suspects aged between 23 and 35 were put in custody, with two of them already wanted under several national arrest warrants for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
Investigations are underway to shed further light on the case and arrest potential accomplices.
Morocco thwarted several major drug trafficking attempts across the country.
One of the latest foiled drug trafficking operations took place in March when police seized 5.7 tons of cannabis in the vicinity of Moulay Bousselham.
Last year, police processed 92,346 drug-trafficking-related cases, arresting 119,692 individuals, including 287 foreigners.
Police also seized 123 tons and 971 kilograms of cannabis resin, 1.948 tons of cocaine, and 16.53 kilograms of heroin, in addition to over 1 million psychotropic substances.
