Oujda: Fifteen Individuals Arrested for Organizing Illegal Immigration and Human Trafficking

The National Judicial Police Brigade, in coordination with police services of Oujda, arrested on Monday, on the basis of precise information provided by the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance, fifteen individuals, including one wanted at the national level, for their alleged link with a criminal network active in the organization of illegal immigration and human trafficking.

In a statement, the National Police (DGSN) said that security interventions carried out simultaneously resulted in the arrest of suspects in Oujda, Touissit Boubker and in the commune of Tilioua (the eastern zone), noting that the search operations led to the seizure of transfer receipts linked to illegal immigration activities, as well as large sums of money, cell phones, five cars and knives, in addition to administrative documents and IDs of candidates for illegal immigration.

According to the preliminary investigation, the arrested individuals are suspected of involvement in the recruitment of candidates for the benefit of foreign organizers of illegal immigration whom are members of a criminal network operating outside national borders, specializing in human trafficking via sea routes to Europe from the Algerian coast, added the same source.

The suspects were placed in police custody for the investigation conducted under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor’s office in order to determine the international ramifications and the possible links with the gangs operating in human trafficking and the organization of illegal immigration, and to identify all the accomplices in these criminal acts, concluded the DGSN.