Spanish Judge Slams Morocco’s ’Zero Cooperation’ on Drug Trafficking

"Morocco does not cooperate in the fight against drug trafficking. Cooperation is zero, it does not exist," denounced the magistrate, blaming the Moroccan authorities for not facilitating the extradition of drug traffickers who have taken refuge in the kingdom. "Morocco is the sole producer of hashish" and the trafficking of this drug generates substantial resources that benefit many sectors, explained Nieves Marina in an interview with the news agency Europa Sur.

The judge admits to being "stunned" by the decision of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to dissolve the elite OCON group of the Civil Guard that was fighting drug trafficking in the Campo de Gibraltar region. She calls on the Spanish authorities to provide more resources to the Civil Guard in order to effectively combat drug trafficking and avoid tragedies like the murder of two civil guards crushed by a drug boat in Barbate.

"What happened in Barbate is very clear: the two deceased civil guards were not properly equipped," denounces the judge at the Cadiz court, insisting on strengthening the capabilities of the armed institute to face drug traffickers who are becoming increasingly violent in the region. "What worries me the most is the entry of drugs into the port of Algeciras where thousands of containers and trucks enter each year and we cannot inspect them all, as this would paralyze activity on the docks."

Nieves Marina recalls that recently, a truck coming from Morocco with 25,000 tons of hashish was intercepted at the port of Algeciras. The judge specifies that several seizures of cocaine from Morocco have been made in the ports of Algeciras, but also of Barcelona and Valencia over the past ten years, stressing that in addition to hashish, "Algeciras has become a port of entry for cocaine".