~ 30 TONNES OF CANNABIS SEIZED IN MOROCCO 2004 ~

[HOUDA-K]

Moroccan police haul more than 30.2 tonnes of drugs in 207 separate operations in port of Tangiers in 2004.


TANGIERS, Morocco ~ Moroccan police said on Thursday they had seized more than 30 tonnes of cannabis resin last year in the Moroccan port of Tangiers, a major transit point for drugs destined for Europe.

Police said some 30.2 tonnes of drugs had been confiscated in 207 separate operations, which resulted in the arrest of 277 traffickers, including 127 Moroccans, 39 French, 36 Spaniards and 21 Portuguese, the remainder being from diverse nationalities.

Around 200 vehicles were also confiscated, including 16 lorries and five coaches, it said.

The biggest seizure in the port was recorded on November 29 last, when police found 10.4 tonnes of the resin hidden in a heavy goods vehicle which was preparing to get the ferry for the southern Spanish town of Algeciras.

More than two thirds - 21 tonnes - of the drugs - were destined for Spain, followed by France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Police said most of the drugs had been harvested in the Rif region, an inpoverished, mountainous region in the north of the country, where the UN says some 134,000 hectares {330,000 acres} are under cultivation.

Morocco is a major producer of cannabis, and much of its harvest finds its way into Europe across the Straits of Gibraltar via ports such as Tangiers.

According to a United Nations report published in December 2003, the north African country produces some 47,400 tonnes of cannabis resin per year, with sales estimated at 12 billion dollars {10 billion euros}.

[LalaMimi]

Customs services in the port of Beni Nsar, close to the North-Eastern town of Nador, seized early Thursday 44 kg of Chira (cannabis pollen powder) in a car heading for Almeria (Spain).

The drug was concealed in the car boot and under the carpets of the vehicle.

The car owner, a Moroccan residing abroad, was handed over to authorities for investigation.

Moroccan customs services are regularly seizing important quantities of chira.

In 2004, the Tangier port police seized 30.20 tons of marijuana in 207 operations conducted jointly with the customs services.

Some 277 traffickers were nabbed during these operations, including 127 Moroccans, 39 French, 36 Spaniards and 21 Portuguese.

Police investigation shows that the drugs were mainly destined to Spain, France, Belgium and Holland.