On June 3, a joint operation by the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) led to the seizure of a shipment of more than 18 tons of drugs at Sidi Rahal Plage . The quantity seized constitutes a record since the start of the current year, far ahead of the 10.5 tonnes seized in Agadir on March 17, or the 10.3 tonnes intercepted on the 27th of the same month and in the city.
If we know that the final destination of the narcotics (cannabis, psychotropic tablets, cocaine and kif stem) and contraband tobacco (snuff, cigarettes and other “maâssel” pastes) seized by the police in the context of their operations is a public landfill where they are incinerated, this stage is preceded by others locked by laws and regulations.
The laboratory phase
As soon as a seizure is made by one of the security forces, civil (National Security, customs) or military (Royal Armed Forces, Royal Gendarmerie), samples of the recovered products are taken by elements of the DGSN National Laboratory. , or sent for analysis to the headquarters of the institution, located on Boulevard Roudani in Casablanca, explains a security source. “For exemple, we check the THC level of a seizure of cannabis resin, or we define the degree of purity when it comes to cocaine», explains our interlocutor.
The results of these analyzes are of great use in the work of the police, since they are likely to help them determine the origin of the substance in question, to understand the evolution of drug trafficking and to monitor trends in the illegal drug market.
Incineration of 24 tons of drugs, December 31, 2021 in Tangier (S. Kadry / Le360).
As for the bulk of the quantities of drugs seized, they are first stored under the guard of the security body who intercepted them, but not for very long. “When it comes to small quantities, they can be entrusted to the seal room. This is not the case when it comes to several tons of drugs. And things become complicated when the seizure of drugs is accompanied by that of bulky materials, such as vehicles or maritime vessels.», Continues our source.
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In this case, and under the supervision of the public prosecutor’s office, the drugs and other illicit products seized are entrusted to the Customs services, because they are practically the only ones to have large warehouses and therefore a “storage capacity» sufficiently extensive to preserve the seized products.
The phase of “pyre»
According to informed sources, interviewed by Le360, the authorities are preparing to incinerate in the coming days nearly 40 tons of drugs and other narcotics in the Mediouna landfill, in the suburbs of Casablanca. But, in general, there is no specific time limit for carrying out these cremations. It depends on the decisions of the courts. “Sometimes we also need a critical mass of seized drugs for incineration because customs officials and others cannot spend their time going back and forth to public dumps.», Explains a former Customs executive.
On “D” day, the drugs are transported by Customs under good escort and the incineration is carried out under the supervision of a magistrate and in the presence of representatives of the security forces, local authorities and Civil Protection. On bales of straw, Customs officers, generally helped by municipal employees, place the drugs to be incinerated and spray them with fuel. A strike of a match and the mass is said.
Another operation to destroy 20 tons of drugs, on September 23, 2019 in Tangier. (Y. El Harrak / Le360)
Risks of diversion or drugs that do not burn completely and could be recovered? “These risks are very minimal because the instruction is to stay on site for the time it takes until we see the total incineration of the drugs.», replies a security source.
The jackpot goes to… Customs
Once this aspect of the procedure, in this case the destruction of the drugs, has been resolved, Customs has the right to become a civil party in the lawsuit brought against the offenders to request financial penalties.
In the case of the Naciri-Bioui affair, for example, Customs is demanding more than two billion dirhams. Because, according to the legislation (Customs Code), this administration has the right to claim double the market value of the offense. For materials and objects seized by investigators (vehicles, telephones, boats, etc.), they are also made available to Customs which sells them at auction.
