Police Seize Over 18T of Chira Near Casablanca

The Casablanca judicial police managed, in close coordination with the services of the Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), in the early hours of Monday, to foil a major international drug trafficking operation, resulting in the seizure of 18 tons and 243 kg of Chira in the coastal area of Sidi Rahal. A statement by the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) said that this joint security operation led to the arrest of five people caught in the act of transporting the drugs seized on board a large goods truck. The same source noted that the suspects were attempting to load the seized drugs onto three zodiacs with a view to transporting them by sea from Sidi Rahal’s beach, near Casablanca. Search operations carried out on site resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of jerry cans of fuel, high-powered marine engines, three high-speed zodiacs, air pumps and a satellite telephone, as well as a large truck used to transport the drugs overland. The five suspects in this case were taken into custody to complete the investigation ordered by the competent public prosecutor’s office, with a view to determining the ramifications and potential links of this criminal network at national and international level, and to arresting all individuals involved in this criminal activity. This large-scale security operation is part of the joint efforts of the and DGST services to dismantle cross-border crime networks, particularly those involved in international drug trafficking, the same source concluded.