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Join on Telegram Rabat – France dismantled a “major” network active in irregular migration, that was operating between Morocco and Europe. The network was assisting irregular migrants reach Europe.
French media reported that the migration network allowed “hundreds of people” to reach Europe.
Following three years of investigations, the network has been dismantled at the Corsican borders.
“We started with an illegal immigrant arrested in Corsica, then pulling the thread we came across a network with an operating mode that has never been discovered,” a police source quoted by French news outlet AFP said.
Corsican investigators discovered that Moroccan nationals were among the list of the irregular migration network.
The Moroccan nationals had a real “Chinese or Thai visa” affixed for Є8,000 (MAD 84,400) in cash, the news outlet added.
The original plot of the migrants is to book flights to China or Thailand, with an intentional layover in Frankfurt, Germany, where they are able to seek asylum once they reach Europe.
Investigations show that 195 irregular migrants transited from Morocco to Frankfurt using the same strategy.
After leaving detention centers in Germany, the migrants traveled to either France, Italy, or Spain with accomplices from the dismantled network.
At the end of the investigation, the rogatory commissioner reported that 11 people were placed in custody, including four French nationals, adds the same source.
Irregular migration is a major concern across the world.
Morocco has been intensifying efforts in collaboration with European partners against irregular migration networks and human trafficking.
Several studies and data show an alarming number of migrants attempting to reach Europe.
Earlier this year, the cross-border journalism collective Lost in Europe said that 18,292 unaccompanied underage migrants have been reported missing in Europe.
The data indicates that over 16 minors disappear per day.
British news outlet The Guardian and Lost in Europe said that the majority of the children who went missing were of Moroccan origin.
Minors from Algeria, Guinea, and Afghanistan are also among the list of missing minors.
