Morocco unrelenting in fighting smuggling from enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla

Morocco’s crackdown on all sorts of smuggling and contraband originating from the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla under Spanish occupation has helped the country gain an additional 4 billion dirhams in customs revenue.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Morocco has maintained its borders closed with the two cities to fight the virus but the measures have also helped curb smuggling.

Moroccan customs gained 4 billion dirhams due to the measures taken to fight smuggling, the bulk of which emanates from the two cities, head of Morocco’s customs administration Nabyl Lakhdar said.

Lakhdar expects customs revenues to hit a record this year exceeding those of the pre-pandemic era. The Moroccan government expects 11.8 billion dirhams in customs duties in 2022.

Besides the crackdown on smuggling, Morocco is planning free zones near Ceuta to offer an alternative to people who used to gain a living from smuggling

The Moroccan economy used to lose up to 12.5 billion dirhams annually to smuggling originating from the Spanish occupied cities of Ceuta and Melilla while Spain gained 700 million euros in profits.