Report: 36% of cases in Moroccan courts are drug-related

More than one third of cases registered in Moroccan courts are drugs related, the Ministry of Justice revealed on Monday.

In a report the ministry said nearly 36 per cent, or more than 67,000, cases registered in 2014 were drugs related and they lead to the prosecution of more than 80,000 suspects compared with nearly 50,000 cases in 2013.

The drugs involved include Indian hemp, hashish, cocaine, heroin, morphine and narcotic substances.

The Moroccan authorities confirmed earlier that its security services are monitoring the borders to prevent drug smuggling and trafficking and reduce the cultivation of Indian hemp mainly in the north of the country.

It added that it had conducted a joint field study with the United Nations to estimate the land used for drug cultivation.

According to the statement, the government has been able to reduce the farmland devoted to drug cultivation from 134,000 hectares to about 47,000 hectares, and it aims to further reduce this to less than 30,000 hectares.