Members of the Royal Gendarmerie’s Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra Regional Command thwarted an attempt to smuggle drugs internationally off the coast of Tarfaya, seizing more than three tonnes of cocaine in what ranks among the largest drug seizures carried out in the fight against international narcotics trafficking networks.
According to available information, the operation was launched on the basis of precise intelligence that detected suspicious activity at sea. Investigations revealed that inflatable boats had collected a shipment of cocaine from a merchant vessel to transport it to the Moroccan coast.
Read also : Moroccan authorities thwart advanced terror plot linked to Daesh Sahel branch, arrest 10 suspects
The shipment was intended to be brought into Morocco for distribution through an international drug trafficking network. A swift and coordinated intervention by Royal Gendarmerie units intercepted the boats before they reached shore and resulted in the seizure of the entire shipment, bringing the smuggling operation to an end.
The operation deals another blow to criminal networks involved in international drug trafficking and reflects strengthened maritime surveillance measures in the area.
Investigation launched
The operation forms part of the strategy implemented by the Royal Gendarmerie’s Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra Regional Command to combat organized cross-border crime. The strategy includes strengthening surveillance along Morocco’s maritime coastline and intensifying monitoring and intervention operations to thwart international trafficking attempts.
Meanwhile, the competent authorities have opened an investigation under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor’s office to identify all branches of the criminal network.
The ongoing investigation seeks to establish the identities of those involved and determine the organization’s possible links both within Morocco and abroad.
