Rabat – In collaboration with the Royal Gendarmerie, Moroccan police on Saturday seized 5.894 tons of cannabis and weapons during an operation 30 kilometers from Laayoune, southern Morocco.

During the operation, police arrested 14 suspects, including a Mauritanian national and a Senegalese national, for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking, said a statement from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN).

Searches also enabled police to seize an AK-47, a hunting rifle, 66 bullets, 114 cartridges of ammunition, tear gas canisters, binoculars, mobile phones, a geolocation device, and a false license plate.

The DGSN statement said police subjected the suspects to a preliminary investigation to determine the circumstances of the case before placing them in custody.

العيون: حجز خمسة أطنان و894 كيلوغراما من مخدر الشيرا، وسلاح كلاشينكوف و66 عيارا ناريا، وبندقية صيد..في عملية لمكافحة شبكات الاتجار في المخدرات، باشرتها الشرطة القضائية بالعيون بتنسيق ميداني مع الدرك الملكي، وبناءا على معطيات دقيقة وفرتها المديرية العامة لمراقبة التراب الوطني. pic.twitter.com/8zjPt28J7J

— DGSN MAROC (@DGSN_MAROC) June 27, 2020

The operation is part of Morocco’s security approach to crack down on drug trafficking and cross-border crime.

One of the recent security operations was on June 24, when police seized two tons of cannabis resin from a tuck near Fez.

Moroccan police seized a total of 179,657 tons of cannabis and its derivatives last year. Customs seized another 119 tons of the same drug and its derivatives last year.