Rabat – Casablanca police arrested three people, including a pharmacist and his assistant, on Wednesday evening over their alleged involvement in trafficking narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
Officers from the Al Fida-Mers Sultan Security District carried out the operation in coordination with the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), according to a security source.
Police first arrested one of the suspects on a public street in Casablanca after they allegedly caught him carrying and trafficking prescription narcotic pills. The suspect was traveling in a light vehicle when officers stopped him and discovered 25 medical prescriptions for narcotic medication in his possession.
Investigators then expanded their inquiries and identified two other individuals allegedly linked to the activity. Police subsequently arrested a pharmacist and his assistant in Casablanca. Authorities suspect that the two supplied the first suspect with narcotic prescription pills in exchange for commissions ranging between MAD 1,500 and 2,000 ($162-216).
According to the security source, the suspects operated outside the legal procedures governing the sale and distribution of narcotic medicines to patients.
Police searches conducted during the operation led to the seizure of 672 prescription narcotic pills of various types. Officers also recovered medical prescriptions and other documents, as well as a professional register used to record narcotic medicines.
Authorities placed all three suspects in police custody pending a judicial investigation supervised by the competent public prosecutor’s office.
Investigators will examine the full extent of the suspected criminal activity and determine whether other people may have participated in the operation. The investigation will also seek to establish the specific criminal acts allegedly committed by each of the suspects.
