Laayoune: Authorities foil attempt to smuggle 8.6 tons of cannabis resin

Police in Laayoune, in coordination with Morocco’s domestic intelligence service (DGST), foiled an attempt early Tuesday to smuggle 8.6 tons of cannabis resin (chira) and arrested three suspects aged between 18 and 37, believed to be linked to an international drug trafficking network.

According to a security source, the operation was carried out in coordination with the Royal Gendarmerie in a rural area near Boujdour. The suspects were caught in the act while attempting to transport the drugs via maritime routes, using a car and a truck loaded with 217 packages of cannabis resin weighing a total of 8.6 tons. Authorities also seized two boat engines and two inflatable boats.

The suspects have been placed in police custody pending a judicial investigation under the supervision of the competent prosecutor’s office, with the aim of identifying potential accomplices and dismantling the wider network involved.

This operation is part of ongoing and intensified efforts by Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) and DGST to combat international drug trafficking and the circulation of psychotropic substances.