Spanish Court to Hear Case Over 1,800 Tons of Textile Waste Imported From Morocco

Rabat – Two men and two companies will stand trial in Spain over the alleged illegal import of large volumes of used clothing and textile waste brought from Morocco into southern Spain, a case that has drawn attention to cross-border waste controls in the European Union.

Spanish media report that authorities in the Campo de Gibraltar region have built a case around 85 shipments that entered through the port of Algeciras between late 2022 and mid-2023. 

The consignments were later stored in industrial warehouses in San Roque without the permits required under environmental and administrative law.

According to the indictment filed by prosecutors in Algeciras, the main defendant, who served as sole administrator of one of the companies under investigation, supervised 44 shipments. 

These operations accounted for 911.8 tons of material. A second accused person, who held a senior management position within the same firm, is said to have assisted in coordinating the activity.

A second company, also controlled by the principal defendant, is linked to another 41 shipments, with a total volume of 889.6 tons. Combined, the case covers 1,801.4 tons of used garments and textile scraps.

Investigators found that the material was stored in two industrial buildings in San Roque under conditions that failed to meet legal standards. Authorities also confirmed that neither company appeared in the Andalusian waste registry and that both lacked authorization for waste transport or treatment.

Prosecutors argue that the operations breached European Union rules on transboundary waste movement, which require strict prior authorization and regulatory oversight for such shipments.

The public prosecutor seeks a prison sentence of one year and six months for each of the two defendants and requests a ban on any activity linked to waste management for the same duration.

The prosecution further demands financial penalties against both companies, along with a two-year prohibition on their participation in the sector.

The case began after inspectors found large quantities of textile waste in an unauthorized warehouse in San Roque. The matter later moved to criminal proceedings in Algeciras, where the court will now assess the charges.