Police in 41 countries across Africa and the Middle East arrested 287 people and seized drugs worth some 100 million euros (more than US$122 million) in two operations coordinated by Interpol. The two operations also recovered 200 kilos of amphetamines, 56 kilos of heroin, 30 kilos of methamphetamines, 21 kilos of cocaine powder. Officers coordinated actions at borders during a specific two-week period in March and April, first on the African continent and then in the Middle East and in North Africa. As a result, authorities confiscated 17 tons of cannabis resin—valued at 31 million euros (about $37 million)—from warehouses in Niger. During the same time period, South Africa Police arrested ten people and seized 973 cocaine bricks, worth an estimated 32 million euros ($39 million), from a fishing boat off the country’s western coast.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 20, 2021 14:53 UTC