VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRB #0886/01 3030958
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 300958Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0794
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 5187
RUEHCL/AMCONSUL CASABLANCA 4753

UNCLAS RABAT 000886 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR INL/AAE - JOHN LYLE AND NEA/MAG 
PARIS FOR DEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR MO
SUBJECT: MOROCCO 2009 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS 
CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT 
 
REF: STATE 100989 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The Government of Morocco (GOM) has 
achieved significant reductions in its cannabis and 
cannabis resin production in recent years.  Advances 
in Morocco's counternarcotics efforts are a result 
of the GOM's comprehensive counternarcotics 
strategy, which emphasizes combining conventional 
law enforcement, crop eradication, and demand 
reduction efforts with economic development to erode 
the "cannabis-growing culture" that exists in 
northern Morocco. The vast majority of cannabis 
produced in Morocco is consumed in Europe and has 
little, if any, impact on the U.S. market for 
illegal drugs. Morocco is a party to the 1988 UN 
Drug Convention.  End Summary. 
 
----------------- 
Status of Country 
----------------- 
 
¶2.  Morocco is one of the world's largest cannabis 
resin (hashish) producers, but its importance as a 
main source country for cannabis resin is declining. 
The 2009 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 
(UNODC) World Drug Report states that although 
Morocco remains one of the world's largest producers 
of cannabis, fewer countries around the world are 
citing Morocco as the "source" country or "origin" 
of the cannabis resin found in their markets. The 
percentage of countries citing Morocco as the origin 
of hashish found in their markets has dropped from 
31 percent in 2003 to 21 percent in 2009. This 
statistic appears to indicate some success of the 
GOM's counter-drug efforts as well as increased 
cannabis resin production in Afghanistan. 
 
¶3.  Cannabis remains primarily an export for 
Moroccan growers, with the vast majority of the 
product typically processed into cannabis resin or 
oil and exported predominately to Europe. Only very 
small amounts of cannabis and narcotics being 
produced in or transiting through Morocco reach the 
United States. Cannabis cultivation has historically 
centered in the northern tip of the country, between 
the Rif Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, and at 
one time large segments of the population of that 
area participated in the cultivation. The GOM has 
had some success reducing the area used for cannabis 
cultivation and encouraging the cultivation of 
alternative crops. Fewer than 100,000 Moroccans are 
currently involved in cannabis cultivation, 
according to the GOM. 
 
¶4.  The center of cannabis production in Morocco 
appears to have shifted from Chefchaouen to al- 
Hoceima due to GOM eradication efforts. Most 
cannabis cultivation occurs in al-Hoceima, with the 
adjoining province of Chefchaouen largely making up 
the rest of production. The provinces of Larache, 
Taounate, and Tetouan, which were formerly major 
production centers, have become less important areas 
for cannabis cultivation as a direct result of GOM 
eradication efforts. 
 
¶5.  Morocco is also combating the growth in 
trafficking and consumption of "harder drugs," 
particularly cocaine. According to the GOM, South 
American drug smugglers continue to transport 
cocaine through Morocco and onward to Europe. 
 
¶6.  Heroin and psychotropic drugs (methamphetamine, 
Ecstasy, etc.) are also making inroads into the 
country but to a lesser extent than cocaine. Morocco 
has only a relatively modest licit requirement for 
dual-use meth or Ecstasy precursor chemicals (1025 
kg of pseudoephedrine), and the country neither 
serves as a known source nor transit point for 
diverted meth precursors. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Country Actions against Drugs in 2009 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  Policy Initiatives. Morocco's national strategy 
to combat drugs rests on the three pillars of: (1) 
interdiction, (2) eradication, and (3) demand 
reduction. Morocco's strongest actions have been in 
 
the areas of interdiction and eradication. GOM 
officials seek to build upon their already strong 
existing relationships with international 
organizations such as the UNODC, the U.S. Drug 
Enforcement Administration (DEA), the International 
Narcotics Control Board (INCB), and INTERPOL. This 
cooperation has been strong on the law enforcement 
side but less robust in terms of demand reduction 
efforts, as GOM officials still consider demand to 
be mainly a European problem. 
 
¶8.  Morocco's national drug strategy is augmented by 
an emphasis on a broader economic development 
approach and crop substitution. Moroccan officials 
have reported the successful substitution of olives, 
figs and carob for cannabis since the launch of 
their 2004 drug-eradication campaign, and saffron 
may offer another alternative. 
 
¶9.  Moroccan authorities reported that they hope to 
complete another detailed drug study in cooperation 
with UNODC as well as update their national drug 
strategy in 2010. The Moroccan Ministry of Interior 
(MOI) has the goal to reduce cannabis cultivation to 
12,000 ha by 2012. If this goal is accomplished, it 
will mean that Morocco will have reduced cannabis 
cultivation by 91% since it first started serious 
eradication efforts in 2003, according to the GOM. 
 
¶10.  Law Enforcement Efforts.  The following table 
is a summary of Morocco's drug seizure efforts since 
¶2004. The decrease in cannabis and hashish seizures 
between 2007 and 2008 may partly be the result of 
successful GOM eradication efforts and droughts 
reducing the supply cannabis and hashish on the 
local market. 
 
Year  Cannabis  Hashish  Cocaine  Heroin 
Psychotropic 
                                          Drugs 
 
2004   318 MT    86 MT     4 kg    1,001   168,257 
                                   grams     units 
 
2005   116 MT    96 MT     8 kg    5,335    94,900 
                                   grams     units 
 
2006    60 MT    89 MT    57 kg      714    55,881 
                                   grams     units 
 
2007   209 MT  118 MT   248 kg    1,906    55,243 
                                   grams     units 
 
2008   222 MT   114 MT    34 kg    6,325    48,293 
                                   grams     units 
 
2009   185 MT   174 MT    19 kg    2,754    34,669 
(January                           grams     units 
to October) 
 
¶11.  The GOM has deployed 11,000 personnel 
throughout the northern and south western coastal 
areas to interdict drug shipments, maintain 
counternarcotics checkpoints, and staff observation 
posts along the coast. The Moroccan Navy carries out 
routine sea patrols. GOM forces are now using 
helicopters, planes, speed boats, mobile x-ray 
scanners, ultrasound equipment, and satellites in 
their drug fight. The mobile x-ray scanner has 
proven to be particularly effective. In April, 
customs and police officials seized and destroyed a 
record 34 MT of cannabis at the port in Casablanca. 
In June, the GOM seized 20 MT of cannabis resin 
during an inspection at the port of Nador, the 
largest load ever seized there. 
 
¶12.  According to the GOM, Moroccan law enforcement 
arrested 27,226 individuals in connection with drug 
related offenses in 2009, of whom 471 were 
foreigners arrested for international drug 
trafficking. Arrests of traffickers at the seaports 
and of arriving cocaine "mules" from Sub-Saharan 
Africa at the Casablanca airport are frequently in 
the news. Detection training and the use of 
ultrasound equipment were critical to the success of 
these seizures. As authorities become more vigilant, 
GOM officials opine that cocaine smugglers are 
likely to seek access to Europe through much harder 
 
to detect land routes and other methods. 
 
¶13.  Moroccan law provides a maximum allowable 
prison sentence for drug offenses of 30 years, as 
well as fines for illegal drug violations ranging 
from $20,000-$80,000. Ten to 15 years' imprisonment 
remains the typical sentence for major drug 
traffickers convicted in Morocco. 
 
¶14.  Corruption.  As a matter of government policy, 
the GOM does not encourage or facilitate illicit 
production or distribution of narcotic or 
psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, 
or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug 
transactions. These actions are illegal and the 
government tries to enforce these laws to the best 
of its ability. Despite GOM actions to combat the 
illicit drug trafficking industry, narcotics-related 
corruption among governmental, judicial, military 
and law enforcement officials appears to continue. 
In January, authorities dismantled a large 
international drug trafficking ring involving some 
Moroccan government officials. The 112 defendants, 
including 35 civilians, 30 members of the Royal 
Navy, 19 members of the Royal Gendarmerie, 27 
members of the Auxiliary Forces, and one member of 
the Royal Armed Forces, have been charged with 
alleged involvement in forming a criminal gang, 
international drug trafficking, and corruption. 
 
¶15.  In July, Spanish authorities extradited 
notorious drug baron Mohamed Taieb Ahmed (AKA "El 
Nene") to Morocco following his escape from from a 
prison in Kenitra with the assistance of local 
prison guards. In August, Moroccan courts sentenced 
El Nene to an additional five year prison term on 
charges of corruption and escaping prison. 
 
¶16.  In late 2008, the government formed the Central 
Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (ICPC). 
In July 2009, the ICPC released its first report, 
stating that it had received 21 valid corruption 
complaints. At year's end, investigations were 
ongoing. Officials attributed the low number of 
complaints, in part, to the lack of legislation 
protecting plaintiffs and witnesses in corruption 
cases. The Commission is working with the MOJ to 
develop procedures for processing corruption 
complaints. In addition to the commission, the MOJ 
and the Government Accountability Court (Cour de 
Comptes) also had jurisdiction over corruption 
issues. 
 
¶17.  Agreements and Treaties.  Morocco is a party to 
the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1971 UN Convention 
on Psychotropic Substances and the 1961 UN Single 
Convention as amended by the 1972 Protocol. Morocco 
is also a party to the UN Convention against 
Transnational Organized Crime, but has not signed 
any of its protocols. Morocco and the United States 
cooperate in law enforcement matters under a Mutual 
Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT). Morocco is a party 
to the UN Convention against Corruption. Morocco has 
several cooperative agreements to fight against 
drugs with European countries such as Spain, France, 
Portugal, and Italy, and it seeks to work closely 
with other Arab and African countries. 
 
¶18.  Cultivation/Production/Eradication.  Morocco 
succeeded in decreasing the land dedicated to 
cannabis cultivation by 62% from 134,000 hectares in 
2003 to 52,000 hectares in 2009, due in part to an 
aggressive eradication campaign, carried out mainly 
by Gendarmes and local authorities, police and 
customs officials, according to the GOM. Cannabis 
resin production dropped 75% from 3,070 MT to 760 MT 
between 2003 and 2009. Morocco used the following 
methods to eradicate illicit crops: (1) crop-dusting 
via airplane, (2) mechanical and manual destruction 
of crops and (3) burning. 
 
¶19.  GOM officials report that during the 2009 
eradication campaign, they were able to eradicate a 
total of 8,338 ha of cannabis in the northern 
provinces. This includes 2,032 ha in Taounate, 6,066 
ha in Chefchaouen, 5 ha in Tetouan, 3 ha in al 
Hoceima and 232 ha in Larache. 
 
¶20.  Since 2004, Morocco has conducted an awareness 
campaign for cannabis growers, alerting them to the 
environmental dangers of cannabis cultivation, 
including soil exhaustion, excessive fertilizer 
concentrations, and deforestation, and informing 
them of alternatives to use the land more 
productively. The GOM selected the northern province 
of Taounate in 2006 as the site for the construction 
of the National Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic 
Plants to study the viability of various crop 
substitutions. Saffron cultivation and rose petal 
extraction are two examples of possible future 
economic substitutes for cannabis cultivation in the 
region. Olives, figs and carob have also been 
successfully substituted for cannabis. GOM officials 
report that since the 2004 awareness campaign 
started, there has been a 62% decrease in cannabis 
production in the northern areas of the country. 
 
¶21.  Drug Flow/Transit.  Given its proximity to 
Morocco, Spain is a key transfer point for Europe- 
bound Moroccan cannabis resin. From Spain, it can 
normally be transshipped to most other Western 
European destinations. France, Belgium, the 
Netherlands and Italy are also major European 
destinations for cannabis trafficked from Morocco. 
Notwithstanding the changes reported above in 
cultivation and production, there is no confirmation 
of a significant diminution of cannabis products 
reaching these major European markets, according to 
the 2009 UNODC World Drug Report. 
 
¶22.  Most large shipments of illicit cannabis bound 
for Spain travel via speedboats, which can make the 
roundtrip to Spain in one hour or less, although 
fishing boats, yachts, and other vessels are also 
used. Smugglers also continue to transport cannabis 
via truck and car through the Spanish enclaves of 
Ceuta and Melilla, known to have lower inspection 
standards than the rest of the European Union, and 
the Moroccan port of Tangier, crossing the Strait of 
Gibraltar by ferry.  According to the GOM, heroin 
enters Morocco from the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta 
and Melilla and is therefore generally limited to 
the provinces of Tangier and Tetouan. At the end of 
2008, Morocco and Spain formed a joint commission to 
fight drug trafficking and illegal migration. 
Spain's deployment of a network of fixed and modular 
radar, infrared, and video sensors around the Strait 
of Gibraltar, starting in 1999 and known as the 
Integrated System of External Vigilance (SIVE), has 
forced Moroccan smugglers to take longer and more 
vulnerable routes. 
 
¶23.  Although the main African redistribution 
centers for cocaine from Latin America remain Sub- 
Saharan, Morocco has been used as a transit country. 
According to the GOM, most of the seizures of 
cocaine have taken place in airports. The reduction 
in seizures of cocaine since 2007 may indicate the 
success of the GOM's drug eradication strategy, 
including increased use of x-ray scanners in 
airports. 
 
¶24.  The number of trans-national drug trafficking 
networks in Morocco is declining, according to the 
GOM. However, networks with French, Spanish, Dutch 
and Belgian ties are more prevalent. In September, 
authorities announced the dismantling of two drug 
trafficking networks. One consisted of 11 
individuals specializing in robberies, assault and 
drug trafficking. The second ring consisted of an 
unreported number of individuals involved in 
distributing cocaine at the national level. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶25.  The GOM is concerned about anecdotal evidence 
suggesting an increase in domestic cocaine and 
heroin use, but does not currently have an effective 
system in place to measure and evaluate the 
situation.  In 2009, the GOM established a drug 
treatment facility in Casablanca to provide 
specialized treatments to patients suffering from 
addiction. Morocco has also established a program to 
train the staffs of psychiatric hospitals in the 
 
treatment of drug addiction. In order to discourage 
the use and sale of drugs, the Ministry of Health 
launched an anti-drug awareness campaign targeting 
school children and created drug-free school zones, 
patrolled by police and the Auxiliary Forces. In 
partnership with UNODC, the Ministry of Health is 
exploring the relationship between drug use and 
HIV/AIDS infection in Morocco. Moroccan civil 
society and some schools are active in promoting 
counternarcotics campaigns. 
 
------------------------------------ 
U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶26.  Bilateral Cooperation.  The USG is working to 
enhance Morocco's counternarcotics capability 
through training in law enforcement techniques, and 
to promote the GOM's adherence to its obligations 
under relevant bilateral and international narcotics 
control agreements. U.S.-supported efforts to 
strengthen anti-money laundering laws and efforts 
against terrorist financing may also contribute to 
the GOM's ability to monitor the flow of money from 
the cannabis trade. 
 
¶27.  The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 
which covers Morocco from its Paris office, 
continued its bilateral exchange of information with 
the Moroccans in support of several ongoing drug 
investigations in 2009. 
 
¶28.  During FY 2009, the U.S. Government provided 
training to Moroccan police, gendarmes, and customs 
officials in the areas of (1) border interdiction 
training (2) cargo control (3) and fraudulent 
document detection. 
 
¶29.  The Road Ahead.  We assess that the endemic 
nature of the cannabis culture in Morocco will 
continue to be gradually ameliorated through 
incremental application of Morocco's comprehensive 
counternarcotics strategy. The U.S. will continue to 
monitor the illegal drug situation in Morocco, 
cooperate with the GOM in its counternarcotics 
efforts, and, provide law enforcement training, 
intelligence and other support. 
 
KAPLAN