This week, Moroccan law enforcement personnel were successful in making a significant narcotics seizure in the southern region of the nation.
According to Morocco World News, which reported that the raid led to the arrest of “five suspects aged between 24 and 44 for their alleged involvement in the network,” the Moroccan General Directorate of National Security stated on Tuesday that “police dismantled an international drug trafficking network.” The statement was made after the raid resulted in the arrest of “five suspects aged between 24 and 44 for their alleged involvement in the network.”
The General Directorate of National Security, or DGSN, which is Morocco’s national police force, provided details of the operation on Twitter, where it said that a “joint security operation between the judicial police and the interests of the General Directorate of National Territorial Surveillance… resulted in the abortion of an attempt to smuggle international goods of two tons and 120 kilograms of shira, and the seizure of an inflatable boat and equipment used to transport the contraband.”
The nation, as reported by Morocco World News, “has been strengthening its operations against drug trafficking.”
The Moroccan police dealt with 82,950 instances involving the possession of narcotics as well as drug trafficking in the previous year. According to the publication, the security services brought 103,589 people to court, including 261 individuals from other countries. Cannabis, which is one of the most often used drugs in Morocco, was among the substances that the Moroccan police department was able to recover in the same year, totaling 191 tonnes and 158 kilos. The amount of cannabis that will be seized in 2021 will be 12% lower than the amount that will be seized in 2020.
The increased level of policing comes at the same time that significant changes are being made to the regulations that control cannabis in Morocco. According to a report from Agence France-Presse at the time, Moroccan lawmakers had approved a law the previous year “authorizing the therapeutic use of cannabis, a major reform for this North African country considered to be one of the leading producers of hashish in the world.” For a long time, Morocco was considered to be one of the leading producers of cannabis in the world.
According to Agence France-Presse, “the purpose of the measure is to’reconvert illicit crops that degrade the environment into legal activities that are sustainable and provide value and jobs.'” “The deputies of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), which is at the head of the government coalition, were the only ones to vote against the text presented by the executive. They denounced “hastiness and risk of exploitation during the electoral campaigns” for the regional elections in September and the legislative elections at the beginning of October.”
In October, the government of the country distributed the first batch of cultivation permits for cannabis. The recently established National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Activities (ANRAC), which is now serving as the primary regulatory body for the cannabis industry in Morocco, has distributed ten licenses for manufacturing as well as cultivation of the plant.
It was stated at the time by Morocco World News that when the first licenses were issued, ANRAC will begin permitting farmers to legally cultivate and produce cannabis within a carefully regulated framework of agricultural cooperatives.
According to the information provided by the outlet, “this procedure will take place at the provincial level in the provinces of Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen, and Taounate,” in compliance with the requirements that have been outlined by the sector. According to the statement’s conclusion, “ANRAC is still researching the market’s prospects in order to promote growth across the entire sector and make it simpler for farmers to transition from engaging in illegal operations to legitimate ones.”
The publication offered the following further information regarding the policy change:
“Over the course of the past several years, Morocco has switched its stance toward the establishment of a legal framework to allow for the legal production of cannabis while simultaneously combating the illegal cultivation and marketing of the popular plant. The inaugural meeting of ANRAC took place in June of this year, and Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit was there to participate. The final steps of the implementation of Law 13-21, which defines the legal uses of cannabis, were the topic that were going to be discussed during this meeting. During the meeting, the early steps of the agency were also given their approval. These initial steps included the formation of the first cooperatives for the production of locally grown cannabis for medical purposes. Morocco’s regulation 13-21 hopes to ensure that farmers switch to legal cannabis cultivation in order to increase their revenue and improve working conditions. However, this regulation does little to capitalize on Morocco’s massive illicit cannabis production, which supplies 70% of Europe’s cannabis needs.
Laura McQueen is a writer for MJGreenNews.com.
She has been writing for different cannabis websites and publications since 2018.
