Illicit Flows And Trafficking Southern Europe-Maghreb
• The local bourgeoisie upper classes wish to “ party ” and buy cocaine for this purpose , as this drug is much purer than it was ten years ago ( 15 percent purity then ; 40 percent today ) and costs today ( depending on the city where it is bought ) from 300 to 500 dirhams per gram ( 800 dirhams and more around 2010 ). 15
The final destination for cocaine remains of course Europe ( Spain , the Netherlands , and Germany and the Gulf ( the United Arab Emirates [ UAE ]) by land , sea , or air , but local sales , which are less logistically risky , can also be lucrative .
It should be noted that large international seizures are carried out by domestic intelligence ( DGST ), which has international contacts in this area .
The first large seizure in Marrakech took place in March 2014 of 226 kilos . Thereafter , the tonnages of cocaine seized in Morocco were enormous : 1.2 t in 2016 ( on a boat coming from Venezuela ); 2.6 t in October 2017 of 93 percent pure cocaine , packaged in 2,600 1 kg packets , bearing the seal of a large Latin American cartel , and therefore able to be cut five times before resale ( resulting in more than 12 t to be resold on the street ); in the port of Casablanca in February 2018 , 541 kg of cocaine with an exceptional purity of 97 percent ( nearly 3 t after cutting ).
This is while “ mules ” coming from Sao Paulo , Brazil are often intercepted at the Mohammed V airport in Casablanca , who have ingested 1 to 2 kg of cocaine in pellets or are carrying a few kilos of the drug in their luggage . 16
Tobacco , the Ideal Illicit Commodity , and Dangerous Comparisons and Orders Of Thought
First of all , we need to acquire elements of comparison : as statistics are not always perfect or exploitable in the Maghreb states , it seemed useful to us to propose first more solid data from Bulgaria , a state also inscribed in the Balkans and a rather chaotic zone , and at the outlet of the eponymous road , one of the great world routes of illicit trade and trafficking ( human beings , drugs , etc .).
Trafficking and Use of Illicit Cigarettes in Bulgaria
First of all , let us recall that even today in the Balkans , illicit trade , the most lucrative , remains a common form of economic activity . Trafficking on the Balkan Route thus represents an annual turnover of $ 7 to $ 8 billion , to be compared , for
15 “ Morocco : The New Target of South American Cocaine Traffickers ,” Media 24 ( Morocco ), December 2 , 2018 ; “ Port of Casablanca : Seizure of More than Half a Ton of Cocaine from South America ,” Media 24 ( Morocco ), November 2 , 2018 .
16 “ Casablanca : Nearly 2 kg of Cocaine Extracted from the Intestines of a Nigerian ,” Media 24 ( Morocco ) February 2 , 2018 ; “ Casablanca : More than a Kilo of Cocaine Seized Following the Arrest of a Brazilian at Mohammed V Airport ,” Media 24 ( Morocco ), February 4 , 2018 ; “ A Brazilian and a Nigerian Arrested at Casablanca Airport in Possession of More Than 7 kg of Cocaine ,” Media 24 ( Morocco ), April 2 , 2018 .
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