Global Ganja Report

Algeria  seized more than 127 metric tons of hashish coming in from Morocco in the first eight months of 2013, authorities announced Oct. 2. Some 12,500 suspected traffickers were arrested and large quantities of various  psychotropic pills were also confiscated in raids. (These two trades seem to together in Middle East networks.) Algeria has officially closed its border with the conservative kingdom to the west since 1994, citing political tensions and the flow of contraband. But the trade obviously flourishes, with subsidized Algerian fuel  smuggled into Morocco in a dope-for-oil deal. In 2012, more than 157 tons of cannabis were seized in Algeria, compared with 53  in 2011. The explosion has prompted Algiers to beef up security on its western frontier. (Lebanon Daily Star, Oct. 2)

On the same day that Algeria made its announcement, Spanish customs officers uncovered 18 tons of hashish in the Andalusian seaport of Almeria—the largest  haul in the history of the city, which is a major entrepôt for Morocco's finest. Seven crewmen of Syrian origin were arrested on the merchant ship Moon Light, where the mega-stash was found. The bales of hashish were determined to have been loaded on Morocco's Atlantic coast. Custom officers followed the  ship by air after it crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, and vessels were dispatched to intercept it. (Euro Weekly News, Oct. 2)

April also saw two supersized hashish hauls for Spanish police. A new European record was set when 52 tons were seized in an industrial warehouse in the southern city of Córdoba. Days later, 32 tons were found in a truck carrying melons from Morocco outside the same city.

Moroccan customs authorities just days after that said they incinerated 9.5 tons of chira (hashish) seized in two busts in Casablanca, both of commercial trucks ultimately bound for Belgium. The product divided into 10-kilo packages and hidden in hundreds of boxes. The Royal Gendarmerie was called in to oversee the ritual burning. (Middle East Online, May 9)

Cross-post to High Times

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