Europe: Seizure of 75 Tons of Hashish from Morocco Exposes the Reach of the Drug Economy Parallel to the Makhzen

The seizure of 75.1 tons of hashish in Spain’s Cádiz province over the course of a single year has exposed the scale of hashish flows from Morocco across the Mediterranean. A series of successive security operations has also revealed the involvement of Moroccan nationals in criminal networks engaged in transporting, storing and distributing these drugs in Europe, raising questions about the responsibility of the Makhzen regime for the expansion of this phenomenon and its repercussions on the countries of the northern Mediterranean.

The scale of these flows is illustrated by data published by the newspaper Europa Sur, based on figures from Spain’s Intelligence Center for Terrorism and Organized Crime. The data showed that Spanish authorities seized around 75.1 tons of cannabis resin in Cádiz during 2025, out of a total of 198 tons confiscated across Spain.

Cocaine seizures in the province also reached 8.3 tons, representing nearly one-third of the quantity seized nationwide, while authorities recorded 1,019 arrests in drug-related cases.

The significance of these figures goes beyond the volume of the seizures. They highlight the scale of hashish flows from Morocco into Spain, fueled by cross-border Moroccan trafficking networks that channel their proceeds back into a parallel drug economy, while the Makhzen continues to turn a blind eye to criminal activities whose consequences are increasingly felt in countries on the opposite shore of the Mediterranean.

In the latest incident, the first unit of the Spanish Civil Guard’s Customs and Border Police thwarted a Sunday attempt to smuggle 10.2 kilograms of hashish from Morocco through the port of Ceuta. A Moroccan national residing in France was arrested as he was preparing to board a ferry bound for Algeciras.

Incidents recorded in Italy likewise highlight the expansion of such activities through transnational networks, while revealing the variety of substances handled by these groups and the different roles played by those involved.

The Italian Carabinieri announced the arrest of a Moroccan man and woman in an area between Capaccio Paestum and Eboli in southern Italy, on suspicion of possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking as part of transnational criminal activity.

According to the Italian website La Milano, citing a statement from the Carabinieri, investigators found approximately 2.4 kilograms of cocaine and crack cocaine inside a vehicle. Searches of residential properties also led to the seizure of additional quantities of hashish originating from Morocco, as well as marijuana, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine.

The operation also revealed an extension of the activity into weapons possession, with Italian authorities seizing three firearms and 280 rounds of ammunition. The measures also involved a Moroccan national.

In northwestern Italy, another operation uncovered an additional link in the same network of activity, with authorities in Albenga arresting a Moroccan national suspected of cocaine distribution.

The newspaper La Repubblica reported that a three-month investigation uncovered drug-distribution activities in the Albenga plain, leading to judicial action against the suspect, who was allegedly involved in criminal networks trafficking large quantities of cocaine and heroin.

These cases demonstrate that the activity is no longer limited to the transportation of hashish shipments. Instead, it involves transnational criminal networks in which Moroccan nationals repeatedly appear among those implicated, with roles ranging from transportation and storage to distribution and retail trafficking. Their activities have also expanded to include multiple types of drugs, making the proceeds from these illicit substances one of the most significant sources of their parallel economy.