Moroccan customs and police foiled a smuggling attempt at the Bab Sebta border post on Saturday morning.[1] A Belgian national was arrested with a large quantity of drugs concealed in his vehicle.[1] The driver was a 58-year-old Belgian citizen who had arranged a secret hiding place under the rear seat.[1] On the competent prosecutor’s instructions, the man was placed in custody and handed over to the judicial police in Tetouan.[1] Spanish reporting likewise says the suspect was placed at the disposal of Tetouan’s provincial judicial police.[2]
During the search, officers found about 50 kilograms of hashish in a light Peugeot heading toward Ceuta.[1] Spanish reporting confirms 50 kilos were intercepted in a Peugeot driven by a 58-year-old Belgian.[2] The car’s chassis had been specially modified to hide the drug plates professionally and evade controls.[1] Officers found a hidden compartment under the rear seat where the hashish plates were concealed.[2] The drugs and the vehicle were seized.[2]
An in-depth investigation is under way to identify possible ramifications of the criminal network.[1] The arrest came amid heightened border surveillance whose effectiveness was being debated after another heavily loaded vehicle evaded controls earlier that week.[1] Checks on vehicles crossing from Morocco to Ceuta are described as exhaustive, yet large hashish loads still get through.[2]
