Moroccan security services have contributed to two international operations targeting transnational networks involved in arms and drug trafficking, as part of a multi-agency effort led by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), according to statements issued by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
According to details contained in two statements obtained by Assahifa, Moroccan security services, represented by the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) and the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), worked alongside law enforcement agencies from several countries to dismantle networks operating across Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
In the first case, Moroccan authorities arrested a Kenyan national on Moroccan soil before extraditing him to the United States on March 11, 2026. The operation was carried out in coordination with the DEA as part of a broader international effort that also led to simultaneous arrests in Spain and Ghana, targeting a network involved in illicit arms trafficking for the benefit of drug cartels.
The same source indicated that those arrested included a Bulgarian arms dealer and two of his associates, one Tanzanian national apprehended in Ghana and the Kenyan suspect detained in Morocco. The network was allegedly attempting to supply the Jalisco cartel, one of Mexico’s most dangerous criminal organisations, with military-grade weapons.
The proposed weapons shipments reportedly included heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, night-vision equipment, anti-personnel mines, and advanced anti-aircraft systems, intended to support cocaine trafficking operations into the United States.
In the second case, the US Attorney’s Office announced the conviction of a dual Lebanese-Syrian national involved in an international network combining drug and arms trafficking with material support for a designated terrorist organisation.
Morocco’s role in this case consisted of supporting international investigations through intelligence-sharing and coordination with US authorities, within operations extending to multiple regions, including the Middle East. According to the statement, the network was involved in supplying Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN), designated as a terrorist organisation, with military-grade weapons in exchange for cocaine shipments.
Investigations further revealed that the suspect leveraged connections within Syrian regime circles, including ties to senior military officials, to gain access to weapons diverted from regime-linked stockpiles for use in these operations.
The statements also indicated that the network maintained links with other criminal organisations, including the Sinaloa cartel, and engaged in financial transactions with entities such as Hamas, as part of complex international money-laundering schemes tied to drug proceeds.
Both cases, the statements noted, fall under “Operation Take Back America,” led by the US Department of Justice and aimed at countering transnational cartels and criminal organisations while strengthening domestic security.
Morocco’s involvement in these operations underscores its growing role in international security cooperation, particularly in combating globally connected networks engaged in drug and arms trafficking.
