Morocco foils attempt to smuggle 3 tonnes of cannabis resin

RABAT - Law enforcement officers at the Larache port (northern Morocco) thwarted, in the early hours of Sunday, on the basis of precise information provided by the services of the Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), an attempt to traffic 3 tons and 285 kg of cannabis resin locally known as 'chira' on board a Moroccan-registered goods truck.

In a press release, the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said that the control and search operations carried out led to seizing 90 bales of chira totalling 3,285 kg, carefully concealed in the trailer of a fish transport truck, adding that the investigation allowed the police to arrest two individuals, aged 44 and 54, for alleged involvement in these criminal acts.

The suspects were taken into custody as part of the judicial investigation carried out under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor's office, with a view to confounding all the individuals involved in this case and uncovering any national and international ramifications of this criminal activity, the same source added.

This operation is part of the sustained and ongoing efforts of the DGSN and DGST services to counter international trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substances, concluded the press release.