Seizure of cannabis (illustration). - SYSPEO / SIPA

Moroccan police said they had seized nearly six tonnes of cannabis resin and weapons in Western Sahara (south) on Saturday during an operation that resulted in the arrest of fourteen people.

"The searches and searches carried out in a Saharan area about 30 kilometers from Laayoune (main city of Western Sahara, editor's note) led to the seizure of a Kalashnikov, 66 bullets, a hunting rifle and 114 cartridges, in more than 216 drug wafers with a total weight of about 5.8 tonnes, "said in a statement the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN). He did not specify the alleged destination of the drug seized.

Fourteen arrests

The operation allowed the arrest of "fourteen individuals, including a Mauritanian and a Senegalese, suspected of links with a criminal network active in the international trafficking of drugs and psychotropic drugs," it said in the statement.

"The search and raking operations also made it possible to discover in the suspects stabs of various calibers, a tear gas canister, a pair of binoculars, two satellite telephones, a geolocation device, a false license plate and three 4x4 vehicles, in addition to sums of money in national and international currencies suspected of coming from international drug trafficking, "added DGSN.

Some 179 tonnes of cannabis seized in 2019 in Morocco

Moroccan police regularly announce the seizure of several tonnes of cannabis, destined for Europe, in the north of the country. Morocco is one of the main cannabis producing countries in the world, cultivated mainly in the mountainous region of the Rif (north). The authorities claim to fight against this production.

In 2019, some 179 tonnes of cannabis were seized in this North African country, according to an official report. The question of the status of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony mainly under Moroccan control, still classified as "non-autonomous territory" by the UN in the absence of a final settlement, has for decades been pitting Morocco against the independent Polisario supporters, supported by Algeria.

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