Moroccan authorities on Tuesday foiled an attempt to smuggle 35kg of pure cocaine transiting from a South-American country to Asia.

The Moroccan police said in a statement that the smuggling operation was thwarted in the northern city of Tangier in close coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Samples of the cocaine seized were taken to a laboratory for analysis, the statement added, without giving more details.

The Moroccan police seized 542kg of cocaine in 2019, down from 1.65 tons in 2018, according to official statistics.