RABAT, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan navy has foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 12 tonnes of cannabis off the Atlantic coast of El Jadida, the military said Tuesday.
The operation on Monday led to the arrest of six smugglers, including three Spanish citizens, according to a statement by the Moroccan Armed Forces.
The smuggling operation was foiled after a maritime surveillance plane spotted artisanal fishing boats suspected of illicit trafficking transferring their cargos onto three other boats offshore, according to the statement.
The smugglers, equipment and cargos were handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie at the port of El Jadida, it added.
Despite efforts to crack down on cannabis cultivation during the past decade, Morocco remains one of the world's largest producers of the narcotic plant, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
