Ceuta and Melilla: Return of Contraband Activities Is Out of Question

Rabat – While Morocco has agreed to reopen its borders with Ceuta and Melilla, authorities in the North African country insist that the resumption of contraband activities is out of the question.

A source from the Moroccan government confirmed on Sunday to the news website Le 360 that the reopening of Ceuta and Melilla will continue as planned for May 17 for the benefit of individuals holding special visas and vehicle owners coming from abroad. Yet, the Moroccan government is set to not allow the return of small contraband activities “under any circumstances.”

The contraband activities connect the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and the Moroccan cities of Fnideq, Nador, and M’diq where the contraband products enter Moroccan territories.

Prior to border closure in 2020, the total value of smuggling goods from Ceuta and Melilla to neighboring Moroccan cities reached €1 billion (MAD 10.53 billion), the source said.

“This contraband [activities] heavily penalize Morocco’s economy,” said the government source, noting the heavy workloads associated with the management and control of the flow of products.

But effectively countering the smuggling of goods in the region is a particularly hard task considering that around 10,000 people visited Ceuta and Melilla on a daily basis. To eradicate contraband, Morocco had invested in the development of commercial and industrial zones in Fnideq and M’diq to promote the social and economic integration of the smugglers.

Following border closure with Ceuta and Melilla, Morocco’s Administration of Customs and Indirect Taxes reported a MAD 4 billion ($396 million) increase in revenues in 2020. The sudden surge in Moroccan customs revenues was estimated to reflect the values of untaxed smuggled goods entering Morocco on an annual basis.