Why the Cannabis Business in Morocco Is Now in the Focus of the Police

Morocco is one of the world’s leading producers of cannabis—much to the chagrin of Europe, which is waging a bitter war of annihilation against the cannabis plant from Svalbard to Cyprus. International pressure on the small kingdom to curb the smuggling of the illegal tobacco product into Europe is correspondingly intense.

The Moroccan government apparently wants to comply with this request in order to demonstrate goodwill in the European fight against cannabis smuggling. Within a week, police launched three major raids against the illegal cannabis trade – most recently on April 15th on the Atlantic coast in the Sidi Isshaq area between the towns of Esauira and Safi, where 18 tons of cannabis were seized before being transported by sea to Spain.

According to the Directorate General for National Security (DGSN), a truck carrying 17,740 kilograms of cannabis was intercepted and its further transport prevented by two high-powered inflatable boats. However, the police were unable to prevent the hired help and sailors from fleeing just in time. But that’s not all: On April 10th, 628 bales of cannabis weighing more than 25 tons were confiscated near Sidi Kacem, about 130 kilometers from Rabat.

Cannabis business in Morocco

Two smugglers on record were caught red-handed and taken into custody. Just a few days later, in the early hours of April 14, the gendarmerie struck again. On the beach of Sidi Bouzid, north of El Yadida, officers seized a truck carrying 2.2 tons of cannabis resin. The fleeing smuggler’s boat was later boarded on the high seas by special naval units and taken in tow.

The recent actions of the police authorities, which also led to the arrest of one of the most wanted cannabis traffickers, demonstrate that times are changing in Morocco and that a tougher approach is being taken against the “narcos,” who have so far remained largely unchallenged.

The improved coordination between intelligence services, informants, the judiciary, the gendarmerie, and the navy is beginning to bear fruit. It’s inevitable that these fruits will cause bitterness and resentment among some protagonists of the Moroccan cannabis business, and this bodes ill.

The prohibitionist fanatics in the Moroccan government should perhaps already be asking themselves what will follow this offensive in the anti-cannabis war. A glance at the Old Testament would be enough to find the answer. There it is written: “For they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.”

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(Featured image by Aphiwat chuangchoem via Pexels)

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First published in HanfJournal. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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