Illicit snacks mimicking real-life candies include ‘Reefers’ and ‘KushKat’ chocolates

As Halloween approaches, police on Vancouver Island are urging the public to use caution after officers seized more than 120,000 cannabis-laced edibles, including chocolate and candies with packaging that mimics recognizable treats.

RCMP shared photos showing illicit cannabis snacks with names such as “Reefers” for cannabis-infused peanut butter cups in yellow and orange packaging similar to Reese’s Pieces, as well as “KushKat” chocolates in a red wrapper like a KitKat bar.

A statement from the Mounties says the contraband candies resemble professionally manufactured products, but investigators found they were produced in “highly unsanitary and heavily contaminated” modular trailers.

They say federal investigators seized the edibles while searching two dispensaries, in Port Alberni and Lantzville, and five homes linked to an organized crime group allegedly involved in distributing illicit drugs and contraband tobacco on Vancouver Island.

They say six suspects were also arrested as part of the operation earlier this month, and police are pursuing drug-related charges.

The police statement says some of the edibles had packaging with claims of medicinal properties and “dangerously high drug potency values.”

“Given the highly contaminated and unsanitary conditions of the illicit drug production facility where these cannabis edibles were being produced, it is possible that the consumption of these products can lead to serious health risks,” says Chief Supt. Stephen Lee with the RCMP federal policing program in the Pacific region.

“We urge members of the public to practice extreme caution … especially with Halloween being just around the corner.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/cannabis-candies-1.7367176

In the early hours of Monday, the  Casablanca Prefectural Judicial Police, in close coordination with the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), successfully foiled a major international drug trafficking operation, resulting in the seizure of 18 tons and 243 kilograms of cannabis in the coastal area of Sidi Rahal.

According to a statement from the General Direction of National Security (DGSN), this joint security operation led to the apprehension of five individuals caught red-handed transporting the seized drugs aboard a large international freight transport  truck.

The same source explains that the suspects were attempting to load the seized drugs onto three high-speed zodiac boats to transport them by sea from Sidi Rahal beach, near  Casablanca.

Search operations conducted on-site led to the seizure of a large number of fuel jerrycans, as well as high-powered marine engines, three high-speed zodiacs, air pumps, a satellite telephone, and a large  truck used for the transportation of drugs overland.

The five suspects were taken into custody for the ongoing investigation ordered by the public prosecutor’s office to determine the ramifications and potential links of this criminal network at the national and international levels, as well as to arrest all suspects involved in this criminal activity.

According to the statement, this large-scale security operation is part of the joint efforts of the DGSN and DGST services to dismantle cross-border crime networks, particularly those involved in international drug trafficking.

Since the enactment of a law in 2021 on the legal uses of cannabis, the Moroccan parliament voted to legalize the drug for medical, as well as cosmetic and industrial purposes.

In efforts to mitigate illegal recreational cannabis use, Moroccan police recorded and processed 99,513 cases of drug smuggling in 2023. In the same year, they also arrested 130,212 individuals implicated in illicit drug trafficking activities.

Source:

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2024/06/363020/dsgt-major-drug-bust-over-18-tons-of-cannabis-seized-in-sidi-rahal-coastal-area

The interception of two high-speed vessels made by Portuguese marines in international waters south of Portugal led to the arrest of eight men and the seizure of 8.6 tons of hashish.

The Navy, the Air Force, the Maritime Authority, and the Judiciary Police carried out an operation in international waters south of Portugal, which resulted in the identification and seizure of two high-speed, semi-rigid vessels equipped with high-power engines, suspected of carrying a narcotic product”, explains the text signed by the four entities.

The operation carried out “resulted in the seizure of around 8,600 kilos of hashish”, and “eight male individuals aged between 34 and 40 years old were also arrested”.

It all started with a “routine mission” of maritime patrol by the Air Force, in which “suspicious movements” of the vessels were monitored, after which an approach operation was carried out in international waters, about 70 nautical miles south of mainland Portugal.

“The successful approach carried out by Navy means, operated by marines, allowed for the interception, detention of the crew and seizure of the narcotic product, hashish”.

A Marinha, a Autoridade Marítima, a Força Aérea e a Polícia Judiciária desenvolveram uma operação que resultou na apreensão de mais de 8 toneladas de haxixe em águas internacionais a sul de Portugal. https://t.co/wH9i2z2vIr@MarinhaPT @PJudiciaria @amn_portugal @fap_emfa pic.twitter.com/KOqCKyMQmS

— Marinha (@MarinhaPT) February 2, 2023