Tanger Med: police and customs seize 971 kg of cocaine from Brazil-linked ship

Police and customs officers at Tanger Med port seized 971 kilograms of cocaine on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 3, aboard a vessel arriving from Latin America, the General Directorate for National Security (DGSN) said in a statement.

The drug, packed in slabs, was found inside a refrigerated container during joint border checks carried out by security and customs teams. The vessel was flying the flag of a Latin American country.

Early findings allowed investigators to trace the container’s route. It had set out from a port in Brazil and was bound for a port in West Africa when it was intercepted at Tanger Med.

The Tangier prefectural judicial police service has opened an inquiry, supervised by the competent public prosecutor’s office, to establish the full circumstances of the smuggling attempt and identify anyone involved.

The DGSN has also tasked its National Central Bureau, Interpol Rabat, with coordinating international security cooperation to trace the possible ramifications of the criminal network behind the shipment.