Mauritania: Army Seizes 475 Kg of Drugs from Armed Traffickers

The Mauritanian army Wednesday snatched 475 kilograms of drugs from a group of traffickers after a chase and gun battle.

According to army sources, the incident took place in the area of “Al Hank”, more than 250 km, north-east of the town of Zouerate.

The traffickers were tracked by an army unit and a military aircraft and were later arrested and their shipment seized, but the army did not disclose the type of drugs they seized nor did they reveal the nationalities of arrestees.

They had also seized light and heavy weaponry as well as a GPS device and a satellite phone.

Pierre Lapack, UN’s Regional officer for the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism in Central and West Africa, warned at a meeting Dakar (Senegal) earlier this month that drug trafficking and terrorism constitute real threats to peace and security in the Sahel region including Mauritania.

The army has been put on the alert in the northern part of the country which has become the main route used by traffickers. According to several reports and experts, these traffickers are linked to terrorist groups including al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb.