The suspects were arrested during a security operation conducted in a residential villa in one in the outskirts of Tangier, for their alleged involvement in the planning and preparation of international drug trafficking operations by sea, the National Police (DGSN) said a statement, adding that the suspects were in possession of chira patches in the form of samples intended for potential customers of this international criminal activity.

The searches carried out as part of this operation resulted in the seizure of five vehicles registered in Morocco, as well as a batch of cell phones and sums of money in national currencies and in foreign currency likely to come from this criminal activity, according to the statement.

The suspects were held in custody for investigation purposes conducted under the supervision of the prosecutor's office, to determine the potential ramifications of this criminal activity and identify possible accomplices involved in this activity at the local and international levels, it added.

This operation is part of ongoing joint efforts by the DGSN and the DGST in the fight and dismantling networks of international drug trafficking, the statement concluded.