This Article is From Nov 07, 2014

Morocco Jails 25 Traffickers After Record Cocaine Haul

Rabat: Twenty-five members of an international cocaine-trafficking network were sentenced to between eight and 10 years in prison by a court in Marrakesh in southern Morocco, a judicial source said Thursday.

The jail terms follow the seizure in September of a record haul of 226 kilos of pure cocaine worth an estimated 226 million dirhams (more than 20 million euros).

Thirteen members of the network were sentenced to 10 years for "trafficking in hard drugs on an international scale", the MAP news agency quoted the judicial source as saying.

Eight members got nine years and another four were sentenced to eight-year terms in jail.

Heavy fines were also imposed, added the same source, although the amounts were not mentioned.

The seizure of large quantities of cocaine is uncommon in Morocco where the main anti-drug trafficking operations involve cannabis.

The kingdom is one of the leading cannabis producers in the world.
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