Morocco Dismantles Nearly 1,600 Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking Networks, Official Says
Published By Regional Desk
Morocco’s Director of Criminal Affairs at the Ministry of Justice, Hicham Mellati, who also chairs the National Commission for the Coordination of Measures to Combat and Prevent Human Trafficking (CNCLT), announced on Thursday in Rabat that a total of 1,597 criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking were dismantled between 2021 and 2025.
Scale of Network Dismantlements
Mellati stated that the figure of 1,597 networks reflects the sustained effort against migrant smuggling and human trafficking over the five‑year period.
Legal Outcomes and Victim Figures
He reported that 536 human trafficking cases were recorded during the same timeframe, with 816 individuals prosecuted and 774 convicted. The total number of officially identified victims amounted to 988.
Structural Reforms and National Plan
Mellati noted that the period was marked by profound and ongoing structural changes in the national framework for combating and preventing human trafficking. He explained that the process began with the consolidation of institutional structures and intensified international technical cooperation in 2021–2022, then reached a pivotal stage with the adoption of the National Plan to Combat Human Trafficking (2023–2030) and its strategic implementation plan (2023–2026).
Legal Basis and International Commitments
He added that the report provides a five‑year assessment reflecting the interconnected nature of the various components of Morocco’s national response, highlighting the multiple advances made in combating this complex crime. The report falls within the remit of the CNCLT as provided for under Article 7 of Law No. 27.14 on combating this crime, and it responds to the Kingdom’s international commitments, foremost among them the Palermo Protocol supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, as well as the mechanism for reviewing the implementation of the Convention and its related protocols.
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