Doha – In a major drug trafficking operation, police conducted an extensive raid on a fish meal factory in Safi, following the seizure of 3.6 tons of cannabis at Casablanca port.
The factory, located in the Jorf Lihoudi district of Safi, belongs to Said Alj’s Unimer Group, a publicly-listed company specializing in fish meal and fish oil production.
Said Alj, cousin of Chakib Alj, president of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), heads the Unimer Group, which produces fish meal and oil used in aquaculture and animal feed.
According to converging reports from multiple Moroccan media outlets, the December 12 police operation came in the wake of Wednesday’s discovery of 3 tons and 619 kilograms of cannabis resin concealed within a shipment of fish meal bound for Belgium.
The drugs were meticulously hidden within a cargo container that had originated from the Safi facility.
The raid, which began around 3 p.m. on Thursday and continued until midnight, involved security forces from both Casablanca and Safi.
Police thoroughly searched the premises and questioned several key personnel, including the factory’s general manager and head of production.
Investigators are also planning to interrogate the customs officer responsible for clearing the truck that transported the container from the factory to Casablanca port.
Initial investigations revealed that the container held approximately 20 tons of fish meal packed in plastic bags.
Customs procedures require inspection of cargo and the application of unique, single-use security seals before any shipment leaves the facility.
The ongoing investigation aims to establish whether the drugs were introduced into the shipment inside or outside the factory premises.
Law enforcement officials are examining multiple angles, including the possibility that the Belgian importing company may have arranged for external workers to handle the packaging at a separate location, where the cannabis could have been integrated into the fish meal shipment.
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The police investigation further seeks to determine whether there was direct involvement or negligent oversight by the company or its employees.
The case has attracted international attention, with Europol expected to join the investigation due to the European destination of the shipment.
Moroccan investigators will be provided with detailed information about the exporting company’s activities and potential connections to drug trafficking networks.
This incident adds to recent controversies surrounding the Alj family, with Mhamed Alj, son of Chakib Alj, currently facing serious legal charges in a separate case in Casablanca.
That case involves allegations of rape filed by a French lawyer, with two other suspects also placed in temporary detention. The investigation of the drug trafficking case continues to develop independently.
This operation represents one of Morocco’s largest recent cannabis trafficking interceptions. The investigation continues as authorities work to uncover the full scope of the trafficking network and identify all parties involved in both Morocco and Belgium.
