Rabat – Security services in France arrested six people for their alleged involvement in “aggravated human trafficking” and for exploiting unaccompanied minors from North Africa, including Moroccans.
The arrests took place last week after six months of investigation. An investigating judge indicted five of the suspects for several charges, including “aggravated human trafficking,” and for organizing gangs, theft, among others.
All of the suspects are in pre-trial detention. According to Le Monde, The sixth suspect, who is under judicial supervision, has been indicted on charges of criminal association and money laundering.
The defendants, aged between 20 and 30, were Moroccan and Algerian nationals. All of them were in an irregular situation, except one.
They have been known to the police for “acts of delinquency.”
The suspects were providing young people from the same countries with accommodation and trained them to carry out theft in the “best” areas in Paris.
Le Monde quoted a recent parliamentary report based on 2,000 to 3,000 unaccompanied minors identified in September 2020 by the French Ministry of Justice.
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The report shows that 75% are from the Maghreb (North Africa), mainly Algerians and Moroccans. The minors include people from Libya and Cote d’Ivoire.
A recent report from Lost in Europe, a cross-border journalism collective, said that over 18,000 unaccompanied minors have gone missing after landing in European countries since 2018. The report shows that most of the migrants are from Morocco.
The report shows that 18,292 unaccompanied migrants went missing in Europe between January 2018 and 2020. The number means that approximately over 16 minor migrants disappear per day.
