Morocco seizes 5.4 tonnes of cannabis, haul of cocaine

RABAT: Moroccan police seized 5.4 tonnes of cannabis resin stashed in a truck headed for Spain, and 60kg of cocaine packed in frozen tuna, security officials said.

Security and customs officers seized the cannabis resin in the northern port of Tangier "on board an international freight truck", the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said late Saturday (Apr 22).

The resin blocks were pressed into plates slotted into specially fitted cavities, including in the truck's chassis. The 45-year-old Moroccan driver was arrested.

In a separate operation, also in Tangier, nearly 60kg of cocaine were seized on Thursday inside a refrigerated container, police said.

The cocaine was packed in tuna marked as coming from Ecuador and destined for Spain.

Morocco is the world's largest producer of cannabis resin according to the United Nations, and police seized nearly 100 tonnes last year.

Police in recent years have also made multiple large seizures of cocaine, with South American cartels using the North African nation as a smuggling transit hub for Europe.