Morocco Seizes 127 Tons of Hashish in 2023, Drug Busts Surge

The first operation led to the discovery of more than five tons of hashish wrapped in 150 bales in a house in the Nador region. Then, about two more tons were found in a cargo truck in the suburbs of Casablanca the same day. With these seven tons of hashish, the seizures during this year amount to about 127 tons, more than twice the volume recorded in 2020, informs the DGSN. The seizure of psychotropic drugs from Europe has quadrupled with more than one million tablets seized this year, compared to 271,000 in the first five months of 2020.

These increasing seizures have been made possible thanks to the measures related to the state of health emergency in place since March 2020, which have "facilitated control". This is in addition to "investment in detection technology" at the borders, and also "very significant cooperation with international partners" such as France and Spain for hashish, and the United States for cocaine.

In addition, Moroccan MPs voted on Wednesday, May 26, the law allowing the therapeutic use of cannabis, marking a major reform. The text on "the lawful uses of cannabis, medical, cosmetic and industrial", was voted by the House of Representatives with 119 votes in favor and 48 against. However, recreational use remains prohibited and punishable. In 2019, 55,000 hectares of cannabis were cultivated in northern Morocco, according to figures from the Moroccan authorities. As for the revenues, they have gone from around 500 million euros at the beginning of the 2000s to around 325 million euros in 2020. A "consolidated turnover in Europe" of around 10.8 billion euros.