Newspaper article 14, Contraband Modern in the Fes Medina

Contraband Roads in the East of Morocco The Saaidia-Fegig-Melilia Triangle

ROBAN AND OULED ABBAS: TWO MAIN TRAFFIC ROADS IN THE EASTERN AREA

A research conducted by the Commerce, Industry and Services Council in Oujda points out that Roban and Ouled Abbas are the most prominent traffic zones in Oujda city as their importance exceeds that of the remaining parts of the area as a whole. Another almost equally important spot is called Bein Khalid, but its roads are tough for human and vehicular crossing. In Ait Angad County there are 9 stable smuggling spots, all of which lead to the road which joins Oujda with Nadour.

In eastern Morocco various means of transport are deployed in contraband activities. While smugglers resort to mules and donkeys to facilitate movement through places with unsmooth and uneven paths, they largely depend, in places like Bird Mountain (41km long), on some high-speed cars known for their careless and "crazy" drivers. "The fighters", these cars' commonplace label, include Peugeot 405 and 505 and Renault 18.

The traffic points of Melilia usually witness considerable movement where contraband commodities are not only packed onto cars and motorbikes but also onto human backs. To give some statistics, 72% of food goods are transported via cars, whereas 91% of clothes are carried by trucks.

NINE SMUGGLING SPOTS IN BENI KHALED

These nine spots are distributed within three mains areas. The first or the North area contains three contraband roads: Cheraga, the Forest and Ouled Zrouk. The second area (the Middle area) as well as the last one (the South area) similarly include three spots. They are Lararalfaqa, Lqissa, Houita and Aaleb, Ouled Tahar and Lgrira, respectively.

Each of these traffic zones gains its particularity via both the nature of the circulating products and the means of transport deployed. For instance, vehicles and animals that traverse Morocco in addition to Algerian soils are commonplace in Cheraga whereas in The Forest cars are made to function within Moroccan borders only, and animals are to do the job in Algeria exclusively. On the other hand, the Middle and South regions employ cars, motorbikes as well as trucks and allow them to cross both countries.

SMUGGLERS GAIN ABOUT SIX BILLION DIRHAMS ANNUALLY

According to the Commerce, Industry and Services Council's study, contraband revenues exceed 6 billion dirhams each year. The research suggests that a small or average contraband enterprise gains almost 5 million. Therefore, annual smuggling transaction rates in the eastern part of Morocco equal that of 1200 legal enterprises.

Meanwhile, the great financial profits of contraband networks cause creeping unemployment rates within the ordinary population. Because they monopolize trade and hire no more than 50 people at best, they wipe out 32400 job posts; the number is liable to rise to 60 thousand. Worse, the new swarms of jobless young people in Oujda are, themselves, increasingly engaging in smuggling as their sole outlet and last refuge to earn a living. Similarly, illegal commodities contrabanding in Sebta and Melilia generate 1,5 billion Euros but simultaneously deprive more than 450 thousand people over Morocco of their jobs.

SIX THOUSAND SMUGGLERS IN EASTERN MOROCCO

The previously mentioned study points out that one job in contraband equals ten in the state's sector. At any ways, there are 6 thousand smugglers in the East of Morocco. They are distributed as follows: 3395 in Nadour, 200 in Oujda, 650 in Berkane, 400 in Tawrirt and 455 in different other cities and areas. As far as smuggled goods are concerned, agricultural products, sport shoes, spices and canned goods take the top spot. The local authorities in Morocco seized 600 thousand sardine bars (worth about 180 thousand DH) and 1125 Kg of cocoa (worth 13,5 thousand DH) in 2003. In Algeria large amounts of vegetables and fruits (10154 Kg) and alcohol (1311 bottles) were captured. Contraband commodities include 422 types: medicine and cosmetics (91 types), electronic (54 types), electric and painting products (48 types), clothes and textile (43 types), food (41 types) in addition to one hundred other kinds of goods.

29% TO 50% OF SMUGGLERS ARE UNIVERSITY GRADUATES

There are different types of smugglers. The common and prominent type includes the people who are systematically and actively engaged in contraband or “real smugglers”. The latter-composed of young jobless as well as old people, are highly experienced in the sense that they possess a meticulous and full mastery of both contraband roads and the techniques used in the circulation of illegal goods. The second category is largely constituted of distributors, traders and mainly the sponsors, who buy the products from outside Morocco, organise their entering into the borders as well as facilitate their handing to the distributors. The sponsors usually gather themselves into sophisticated networks, invest vast capitals and, thus, generate considerable profits. In addition to the previous types, some Moroccan tourists also involve themselves in smuggling.

Up to 70% of smugglers’ ages range from 30 to 40 years old. Their educational background differs from one person to another. Middle and high school graduates come at the top with 32% to 67%, followed by university students with 27% to 55.5%, and finally illiterate people constituting 11.5% to 44%. As far as gender is concerned, men and women look for different options in their smuggling operations. Whereas women are generally fewer and choose to trade in relatively light and cheap commodities to guarantee an easily smooth transport and to avoid losing great sums of money if captured by the police, men venture to invest large capitals and in various goods.

CONTRABAND THREATENS THE LIVES OF 12 THOUSAND SHEEP-KEEPERS

Contraband dynamics affect many other economic domains, especially fabricated aliments, whose sales have dramatically decreased (-80%). Similarly, 40% of local mills transactions have dropped, which means a decline in the production of good flour. Moreover, smuggling has had extremely bad consequences on milk branding. The sales of The Milk Dairy of Eastern Morocco witnessed tremendously low levels (-26% from November 2002 to December 2003) and an equal decrease from November 2002 to December 2003. Yoghurt products were the most affected, however. As a result, smuggled goods threaten the economic and financial stability of 2000 farmers who provide for the Milk Dairy, and in the case of the latter’s bankruptcy 216 employees will certainly be discarded.

Secondly, contraband clothes have shaken the field of textile and traditional carpet-making. The vast flow of illegal and fake clothes items (which bear on them international trade marks) has perplexed and duped the local consumer and tightly encircled internal markets. Besides, the sales of Oujda-made carpets have dropped to much lower levels, rocking, therefore, the lives of many people, especially in Bouarfa and Fegig cities.

Most importantly, the sheep market and oil fields constitute the biggest losers. While 12 thousand of the former’s herdsmen as well as workers are likely to lose their jobs, 14 out of 20 of the latter’s gas stations have already closed their doors. The national oil corporation, in turn, underwent a considerable loss which ranges from 15 to 20 million dirhams during the first four months of 2002. This loss will certainly rise to about 60 million if the current situation remains the same. Electronics and medicine feature as other negatively affected areas.

Translated by Nourdine El Guennouni