Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Morocco’s Customs and Excise Administration seized more than MAD 2.5 million ($268,000) worth of mobile phone accessories at the port of Nador.
A press release from the port’s administration said that the seizure included 132,176 mobile phone chargers, 101 thousand car charging adapters, 10 thousand batteries, and close to 5,000 pieces of miscellaneous phone accessories.
The goods were imported with fraudulent processes and with no declaration, in an apparent effort to avoid paying customs duties and evade the control standards imposed on this type of product.
Poor quality electric accessories and chargers can pose a danger in the form of fire hazards and electric accidents, hence the strict standards enforced by authorities, said the release.
This operation comes in addition to similar operations conducted by Moroccan authorities earlier this year.
Such efforts are made to ensure the safety of customers from fraudulent and unsafe products in the marketplace, the authorities’ statement added.
21 people were arrested earlier this year on similar charges of smuggling electronics into the kingdom.
The trafficked goods included thousands of cell phones, in addition to laptops, tablets, watches, and cars, and MAD 931,870 ($100,00) in cash.
The arrested group was connected with an international smuggling network, with the initial investigation starting in February when the authorities seized MAD 6 million ($660,000) worth of illegally trafficked mobile phones.
In addition to seizing smuggled consumer products, the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) and other entities work at dismantling international criminal groups, stopping illegal goods such as drugs, and dismantling terror cells.
Read Also: Morocco Arrests 25 ISIS Affiliated Suspects
Moroccan authorities also regularly work with forces from Spain, Portugal, and other neighbouring countries in these operations.
