Morocco seizes almost 12 tonnes of cannabis resin in Essaouira

ESSAOUIRA – Morocco’s police thwarted on Tuesday a huge international drug trafficking operation in the city of Essaouira during an intervention carried out based on precise intelligence provided by the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), according to the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN).

The operation resulted in the seizure of 11 tonnes and 755 kilograms of chira (cannabis resin), said the DGSN in a statement. The operation also led to the interception of three utility vehicles bearing false license plates, which were abandoned by their drivers following a pursuit initiated from a rural area on the outskirts of the city.

A search of the vehicles uncovered a large quantity of cannabis resin bales, carefully concealed and intended—according to initial investigative elements—for an international drug trafficking network.

Investigators also seized ten forged license plates, presumably used to obscure the identification of the transport vehicles involved in the operation.

As an extension of this intervention, a fourth suspicious car was intercepted in the rural area of Sidi Kaouki by the Royal Gendarmerie. This vehicle is also believed to be linked to the same trafficking ring, according to the investigators' preliminary findings.

Investigations are continuing under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor's office to identify the ramifications of this network, determine its potential national and transnational connections, and proceed with the arrest of all individuals involved in the case.

This operation is part of the ongoing efforts deployed by various Moroccan security services to combat the international trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances - a phenomenon against which authorities regularly conduct coordinated actions throughout the territory.