Ride-Hailing drivers, hotels, and airport workers implicated in black market currency investigation

Morocco’s Exchange Office has opened a sweeping investigation into a sprawling underground currency exchange network across the tourism sector, implicating ride-hailing drivers, rental car agents, hotel staff, spa workers, restaurant owners, and even airport employees.

Sources told Hespress Ar that central monitoring teams were activated after the Office’s statistics department detected a spike in illegal currency exchange, especially in tourist-heavy areas like Casablanca and Marrakech.

The network is believed to connect with tourists who want to change their foreign currency into dirhams outside authorized channels, often offering tourists better rates than official banks or exchange offices.

Drivers are reportedly using their routes with foreign tourists to carry out cash-for-currency deals outside authorized exchange points.

Authorities have identified several suspects operating near Mohammed V International Airport and other central areas of Casablanca.

According to the same sources, the situation could get worse during summer, with expectations that the volume of black-market exchanges will reach troubling levels.

Legitimate exchange businesses are already feeling the pressure, with some filing official complaints about unfair competition and financial damage.

There’s also concern about the source of some of the funds being exchanged. Investigators suspect connections to money laundering, drug trafficking, and other criminal activities, especially after tracking currency amounts that exceeded legal travel allowances.

The Exchange Office has ramped up its oversight in response. In just one year, it conducted 353 audits across multiple sectors, including 54 on currency exchange firms and 53 focused on money laundering prevention.

Authorities are now coordinating with Customs and Tax departments to track down drivers handling suspiciously large amounts of foreign currency.