The security services of the Tangier police prefecture thwarted, this weekend, one of the most significant attempts at clandestine immigration in the region. In coordination with the local authorities of the peripheral zone of Rahrah, in Tangier, 55 candidates for illegal immigration were apprehended while they were housed in several dwellings in the same locality. The security forces also seized four inflatable boats intended for the crossing.
According to media sources, the people arrested have been placed under judicial investigation, conducted under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor's office. The objective is to dissect the circumstances and ramifications of this case. Investigations are actively continuing to identify and arrest all accomplices and instigators involved in these criminal acts.
The information gathered so far reveals that these clandestine migrants were recruited by networks specialising in human trafficking. The latter planned to take advantage of the New Year celebrations to organise the crossing from the beaches of Tangier, hoping to exploit the increased mobilisation of European countries during this period. The strategic position of Tangier, located on the Strait of Gibraltar and close to the Spanish coast, makes it a zone favoured by these networks, attracting both Moroccans and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
Faced with this threat, the authorities, notably the Royal Armed Forces and the Auxiliary Forces in charge of coastal surveillance, have strengthened their system. The beaches of Tangier, such as those of Achakar and Boubana, are particularly coveted by smugglers due to the difficulty of monitoring them entirely. Furthermore, some migrants try to exploit port infrastructure, notably the Tanger Med port and the Tangier Ville port, by hiding in trucks bound for Europe. Clandestine migration networks also use the surrounding forests as temporary refuges to hide migrants while waiting for an opportunity to cross.
On another level, local courts are overwhelmed by cases of fraud linked to dreams of clandestine migration. These criminal networks exploit the desperate quest of their victims to cross to the other shore, before trapping them in scams and violent assaults. Some victims have been seriously injured by knife attacks, often committed by members of these networks under the influence of narcotics.
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