French Interior Minister Tackles Drug Trafficking, Migration in Morocco Visit

"We were able to work on several issues related to national security and the fight against terrorism," said Mr. Darmanin after a meeting in Rabat with his Moroccan counterpart Abdelouafi Laftit.

The fight against drug trafficking was addressed given that Morocco is the leading supplier of cannabis to Europe, with an estimated annual production of more than 700 tons, worth $23 billion, according to a study published in 2020 by the independent "Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime" network.

Three-quarters of resin seizures come almost entirely from Morocco, according to the latest report from the French Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT), reports the AFP.

In turn, "France itself must do more to protect Morocco from trafficking that originates in Europe (...) particularly for psychotropic substances and synthetic drugs," said Mr. Darmanin.

Regarding adult migrants, France wants their return to Moroccan territory, despite the Covid crisis, while minors will continue to be protected until their return to their families in Morocco or in Moroccan educational centers. They are protected in particular by the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is why no European country has yet managed to establish mechanisms for their return.

What about the organization of the Muslim faith in France and the recruitment of imams, which are included in a bill aimed at countering "Islamist separatism"? "It’s about seeing how we can improve things and understand the constraints of each," the French minister responded.