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Algerian troops seize 1.5 ton of drugs near Moroccan border

Xinhua, January 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Algeria's joint security forces late on Friday arrested five members of an international drug trafficking network and seized 1550 kg of treated cannabis smuggled from Morocco, a statement of Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

The statement specified that detectives of People's National Army and National Gendarmerie in the western province of Oran worked jointly on the base of accurate information and managed to arrest three traffickers, with 1050 kg of treated cannabis in their possession. Two cars and two motorcycles were also seized in this operation.

Meanwhile, the source added that two other drug traffickers, possessing 500 kg of treated cannabis, were arrested in Ain Temouchent and Tlemcen provinces, near Moroccan border. Three vehicles were also seized in this operation, the source added. This huge quantity has been smuggled from Morocco.

The statement further noted that as many as 15 illegal migrants and four smugglers were arrested Friday by army troops in the southernmost locality of In Guezzem, near border with Niger.

In addition to counterterrorism challenge, Algeria is facing the growing threat of organized crime, including drug trafficking. In fact, Algeria has been forced to deploy more troops along its western closed-border with Morocco, to thwart potential smuggling of narcotics. Endit