Moroccan security forces thwarted a large-scale drug trafficking attempt at the port of Safi on Saturday evening, seizing 8.1 tons of cannabis resin (chira). In a coordinated operation involving the provincial security services of Safi and the National Brigade of the Judicial Police (BNPJ), authorities intercepted a Morocco-registered freight truck carrying the illicit substance concealed in 199 bales. The drugs were bound for international shipment by sea. Twenty-one individuals, aged 24 to 48, were arrested in connection with the drug trafficking network. In addition to the drugs, police seized 1,160 liters of gasoline stored in barrels and impounded a second vehicle. The operation was the culmination of weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance, following the discovery of evidence of a significant drug trafficking plot. Moroccan security forces had been monitoring the movements of the drug shipment prior to its seizure and the arrests. The arrested individuals are now under judicial investigation by the BNPJ, supervised by the public prosecutor's office. Authorities are working to dismantle the entire drug trafficking network and identify its local and international connections. This successful bust is part of Morocco's ongoing efforts to combat international drug trafficking.
