RABAT, June 30 (Reuter) A British drugs expert said on Monday about 60 percent of the cannabis resin reaching Britain came from Morocco despite the two countries having good police and customs cooperation. Britain's International Drugs Coordinator Derek Plumbly told Reuters: ``I believe 1,500 to 3,000 tonnes (of cannabis resin) are produced in Morocco annually.'' ``We have very good cooperation policetopolice and customs tocustoms, but you have a very large area of cultivation,'' he said, adding that the production figures were a very rough estimate. [continues 306 words]
RABAT, April 11 (Reuter) Moroccco seized 103 tonnes of cannabis bound for Europe in 1996 and arrested more than 18,000 drug traffickers, including 342 foreigners, the official MAP news agency said on Friday. Interior Minister Driss Basri, who was addressing a meeting of Western Mediterranean interior ministers in Paris, was quoted by MAP as saying: ``The nationwide campaign against drug trafficking launched by Morocco in 1996 led to the seizure of 103 tonnes of cannabis and 91 kg (200 lbs) of cocaine.'' The drugs were destined for the European market, MAP said. Security forces also arrested 18,794 people involved in drug smuggling, including 342 foreigners, most of them Europeans, MAP quoted Basri as saying. [continues 164 words]