Moroccan Drug Traffickers Adapt Routes to Europe Amid COVID-19 Border Closures

The containment measures imposed by the Moroccan authorities to counter the spread of the coronavirus have contributed to the blocking of the normal drug trafficking route. Smugglers are no longer able to transport the cannabis, grown in the mountains of the northern Rif, over the short distance that separates them from the Mediterranean coast in Spain.

Moroccan drug traffickers are now adopting a longer alternative route. "The gangs are opting for remote European coasts, requiring long and costly sea outings in order to find a safer route. [...] They are loading food trucks across Morocco, then fishing boats leaving the Atlantic ports," said the spokesman for the national police and intelligence, Boubker Sabik, to the AFP.

"While only 14 km separate Tangier from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar, the route that goes up the Atlantic coast requires a long journey and a rendezvous at sea, with European smugglers in international waters. This also involves driving the drugs for hours from the Rif to the isolated beaches of Sidi Abed, 217 km south of Rabat, using catering trucks whose drivers have travel authorizations," he explained.

In total, the police seized 32.6 tons of cannabis resin, commonly known as hashish, during the lockdown period. Similarly, 62 tons have been seized since the beginning of the year, compared to 210 tons seized last year.