Morocco Emerges as Key Hub in Global Drug Trafficking Network

"If Moroccan cannabis arrives so easily in France, it is to a large extent because Paris and Rabat have common geopolitical interests, the preservation of which is to the detriment of the fight against trafficking," analyzes Fabrice Rizzoli, political scientist and specialist in organized crime, in his article "France at the heart of drug trafficking: a geopolitical perspective". He points the finger at the Moroccan political and administrative elite: "[...] On the one hand, a part of the Moroccan political and administrative elite is involved in drug trafficking through corruption schemes; but, on the other hand, Morocco is an important ally of France in the fight against jihadism in North Africa and in the fight against illegal immigration. This is why [...] the cannabis trade persists".

In December 2023, the Malian El Hadj Ahmed Ben Ibrahim, a famous drug trafficker, known as the "Escobar of the desert", brought down Saïd Naciri, president of the Wydad club, as well as Abdenbi Bioui, president of the Oriental region. These two Moroccan personalities are being prosecuted for their involvement in the export of cannabis. Of Moroccan origin through his mother, the Malian is known for having brought cocaine to West Africa. He is incarcerated in the local prison of Ain Sebaâ.

According to Florian Manet, former director of the research section of the French maritime gendarmerie, the trafficking of cannabis and cocaine in Morocco also persists due to their "maritimization". The drugs are hidden in containers. "When you have a container ship of 20,000 TEUs (6-meter units), how can you manage to control such a mass in a short time? If a judge decides to keep one of these ships in port for inspection, who will pay the colossal financial compensation?" asks the organized crime specialist, Rizzoli.

The "goods" pass through the port of Tanger Med, located in the Strait of Gibraltar, and known for hosting cargo flows from all regions of the world that break down into hard-to-trace secondary flows. More than 10 million TEU containers passed through Tanger Med in 2024 (18.8% more than in 2023), making it the leading port in the Mediterranean, ahead of Algeciras (Spain). Unfortunately, drug and cocaine trafficking is unlikely to stop. "The intention to build a new port, in the spirit of Tanger Med, on the Atlantic coast in Dakhla could multiply the problem and further increase Morocco’s place in global drug trafficking," notes Manet.