Security services in Nador, northeastern Morocco, arrested three individuals who are allegedly linked to an international drug trafficking network specialized in cocaine.
The arrest operation took place on Wednesday evening on the basis of intel from Morocco’s General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
According to a statement from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), the criminal network uses sea routes to transport cocaine between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla.
Police arrested the first suspect when he arrived aboard a water scooter at the beach of Boukana, near Nador. The suspect carried approximately 21 kilograms of cocaine.
Security services arrested two more suspects who were parked near the beach. Police officers suspect the two individuals of being the owners of the trafficked drugs.
Search operations at the site of the intervention and at the suspects’ homes led police officers to confiscate two cars, three water scooters, a banknote counting machine, several cell phones and computer devices, and an electronic scale.
Security services also seized MAD 70,000 ($7,542) and €1,850 ($2,183). The money is suspected to have resulted from criminal activities.
Police placed the suspects in custody, pending preliminary investigations by the public prosecutor’s office. The investigations aim to determine the criminal activities that the suspects were involved in and identify any crime partners.
Cocaine mainly enters Morocco coming from Europe, as it is not produced locally. To prevent the drug from entering the country, police and customs services intensely monitor seaports in northern Morocco, as well as coastlines that provide easy access to European shores.
In 2019, Morocco’s security services seized 542,455 kilograms of cocaine.
