October 04, 2017 - 2:30 PM
CASABLANCA, Morocco - Moroccan authorities say they seized a staggering 2.5 tons of raw cocaine and arrested 13 people in a three-city operation.
Morocco's Central Bureau for Judicial Investigation announced Wednesday that the drugs were seized in the Atlantic coastal towns of Skhirat and Bouznika and the Mediterranean town of Nador. Police also seized cars, rifles and $480,000 in cash.
The suspects include people with joint Moroccan-Dutch and Moroccan-Spanish citizenship. Two people considered the brains of the network are also in custody from a previous arrest.
Bureau director Abdelhak Khiame said the cocaine had come in batches since 2013 from Mexico and Venezuela, and was destined for sale in Morocco and beyond.
Long considered a transit country for cocaine trafficked to Europe, Morocco is increasingly a final destination too.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017