A joint security operation between Morocco and Senegal has led to the dismantling of a large-scale hashish trafficking network spanning Morocco, Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau, according to police and media sources.
The coordinated effort involved Morocco’s security services and Senegal’s Central Office for the Suppression of Illicit Drug Trafficking (OCRTIS). On October 13, OCRTIS officers arrested three individuals — identified as B. Djaby, M. Baldé, and N. Preira — in the Pikine Technopole area near Dakar.
Authorities seized 250 packages of hashish, weighing a total of 25 kilograms, which were reportedly bound for Guinea-Bissau. Senegalese police said the drugs had been concealed inside containers of powdered milk prior to shipment.
The investigation began in Marrakech after Moroccan police discovered 85 kilograms of hashish hidden in water heaters being transported by a Senegalese national. This initial seizure prompted a controlled delivery operation to trace the ultimate recipients of the narcotics, eventually directing the investigation toward Senegal.
In a related operation, Moroccan investigators previously confiscated six kilograms of hashish concealed inside two electric water heaters of 50 and 80 liters.
The arrest of the individual who came to collect the goods in the Dakar district of Yarakh revealed critical links between smuggling networks operating in Morocco and across West Africa.
Searches carried out at the suspects’ residences uncovered multiple passports and identity cards belonging to nationals from Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Spain, Gambia, and Afghanistan.
Authorities also seized two vehicles, five mobile phones, two checkbooks, several bank cards, and eight sealed milk cans containing other suspicious substances.
Preliminary findings suggest that the alleged mastermind of the network is a man identified as BL Tavarez, based in Guinea-Bissau. Both Moroccan and Senegalese law enforcement agencies are continuing their investigations to determine the full scale of the operation and to apprehend additional accomplices.
The operation underscores the growing collaboration between Rabat and Dakar in combating international drug trafficking along the West African Atlantic corridor — a route increasingly exploited by global narcotics networks.
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