Rabat- The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) has broken up a criminal gang counterfeiting travel and residence documents used to facilitate irregular migration.
The BCIJ’s organized crime squad dismantled the gang, which operated in many Moroccan cities, as a part of its ongoing efforts to crack down on criminal networks, the BCIJ said.
The statement was published Thursday morning by the state-owned MAP news agency.
The BCIJ’s statement said that preliminary investigations enabled the arrest of two suspected of irregular migration at Casablanca’s Mohammed V Airport. The individuals, carrying fake residency documents, were traveling to a European country.
The operation led to 14 arrests, including a woman and an Algerian citizen. They participated in counterfeiting official and administrative documents. They also act as intermediaries targeting young victims, the BCIJ added.
According to the BCIJ, authorities seized stamps of foreign embassies, Moroccan stamps, Moroccan and foreign passports, and residency documents of foreign countries. The authorities also seized machines used in counterfeiting, money, cars, and mobile phones.
The operation was based on information provided by the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
The BCIJ’s investigations are still ongoing, under the direct supervision of the competent public prosecutor, to arrest the rest of the members of the gang.
Last year, the BCIJ dismantled many criminal gangs. On December 2017, nine gang members were arrested for criminal charges, including kidnapping and ransom. In October, the BCIJ dismantled a criminal gang suspected of kidnapping crimes targeting wealthy people.
