Morocco seizes ton of cannabis transported on camelback

Rabat, Morocco — Moroccan police announced Thursday the seizure of over a ton of cannabis transported on the backs of a herd of unaccompanied camels in the south of the North African kingdom.

One person was arrested after 10 camels in the Errachidia region were found to be loaded with cannabis, the DGSN national security service said in a tweet.

On Wednesday, the DGSN had announced the seizure of nearly two tons of cannabis resin in the vicinity of Laayoune, in the Moroccan-controlled area of Western Sahara.

Sixty-one bales of cannabis resin weighing 1,994 kilograms (4,400 pounds) were found “buried in the sand” in that seizure, the DGSN said in a statement.

They were discovered after a refrigerated truck carrying “two inflatable boats and four outboard motors suspected of being intended for drug trafficking” was stopped and four suspects arrested, the statement added.

Morocco is one of the world’s biggest cannabis producers, although authorities say they are cracking down and seized nearly 180 tons of the drug last year.