A court in Morocco has handed a five-year prison sentence and fines totaling about $107,300 to a man accused of human trafficking. This marks the country’s first judgment involving allegations of luring people abroad to work in a fraudulent job hub in Asia.
The case centers on several young Moroccans who were drawn in by an online job posting that promised high earnings in Thailand. Instead of legitimate employment, they were transported to Myanmar, thousands of miles away, roughly 9,300 miles (14,966 kilometers) from their homes. Once there, they were forced to work in cyber-fraud operations and online scams.
The defendant, Nabil Moafik, strongly rejected the accusations during the trial, stating he would never be involved in human trafficking, which he described as “a crime against humanity.”
According to the United Nations, as many as 120,000 people are trapped in these so-called scam compounds around the world, and international prosecutions are increasing. Several similar cases are currently moving through Moroccan courts.
At the courtroom in Casablanca, some victims told The Associated Press that they witnessed torture and degrading treatment while inside the scam centers in Myanmar. Others said they were only released after paying ransom in cryptocurrency, according to documents submitted by lawyers.
Prosecutors claimed that Moafik operated a Facebook group meant to support Moroccan immigrants living in Turkey.
Through that group, he posted an advertisement for call-center jobs in Thailand. One victim, Youssef Amzouz, responded to the posting and was later connected with another Moroccan who arranged the recruitment process, including an interview and sending money for his plane ticket to Malaysia.
Court documents revealed that after Amzouz arrived, another Moroccan threatened him, saying he must either pay a ransom or bring in 100 new recruits to gain his freedom.
Moafik told the judge that Amzouz later called him from outside the compound, saying he was hospitalized due to injuries caused by torture.
“I was only acting as a job connector,” Moafik insisted. “I received between $21 and $107 for every person I referred. I had no idea something like this was going to happen.”
The International Organization for Migration has noted that some intermediaries may unknowingly take part in human trafficking, making international investigations and prosecutions challenging.
However, prosecutors maintained that Moafik intended to profit from the scheme, describing him as “a key participant in the crime of human trafficking.”
Earlier this year, the Moroccan news outlet Hespress reported that the country’s Foreign Ministry secured the return of 34 Moroccan citizens who had been trafficked to scam centers in Myanmar. The ministry did not reply to AP’s email seeking clarification on the full number of affected victims.
