A report by the US State Department, prepared by an agency specializing in international drug trafficking control strategy, admits that Morocco poses a serious threat to the security and stability of its eastern neighbor. “It is its proximity to Morocco that has earned Algeria the special attention of the American anti-drug services,” said the report, which dates back to 2017.
“A significant part of the Cherifian [drug] production passes through Algeria to reach the markets of Europe and the Middle East, financing the passage of terrorist cells in the Maghreb,” said the report revealed by Aviseur International. “In ten years, from 2003 to 2013, Algerian cannabis seizures have increased from 8 to 211 tonnes per year. Local consumption remains modest, but it is increasing among young people. A phenomenon that the authorities are trying to stem through social programs and information campaigns, “the US official document added.
The US State Department study notes that Morocco “is the world’s largest producer and exporter of cannabis.” Referring to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the report states that “the total cannabis production in Morocco for the 2015-2016 season was around 700 metric tons, which equates to a times turned into hashish, at 23% of the country’s GDP which is 100 billion dollars ”. “Morocco,” the authors of the damning report continue, “is also becoming a European gateway for cocaine from South America passing through West Africa.” “About 25% of all detainees in Morocco are incarcerated for drug cases. The domestic market for cocaine and heroin remains limited due to the high price of these drugs ”, underlines the document taken up by the site which provides information on the problem of drugs, narcotrafficking and the policies implemented by them. different states.
In an article devoted to this question, Aviseur International notes that “drug routes are multiplying in Africa, with Morocco as the epicenter of cocaine shipments to Europe and the Maghreb”. The author of the article, Abdelkader Abderrahmane, geopolitical analyst and international consultant on peace and security issues in Africa, specifies that Morocco “has become in a few years a major hub for all kinds of drug trafficking linked to the ‘Europe and West Africa’, considering that ‘drug trafficking in Morocco has a bright future ahead of it’. “If the difficulties of transport and delivery to Europe and elsewhere arise in front of traffickers on a regular basis, they are not short of ideas to continue their illegal activities,” notes Aviseur International.
Another source reveals that the bank owned by the ruling family, Attijariwafa Bank, is “involved in the concealment of funds raised by the trafficking of cannabis leaves no room for doubt as to the personal involvement of King Mohammed VI in these criminal activities. ”, While it is no secret, moreover, that drug traffickers pay terrorist groups a right of passage. The latter represents 10% of the total value of the cargo, according to specialists who stress that “some armed groups charge more to guarantee the protection of the convoy”.
