The General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST) and Nador’s National Security have detained a suspect who is accused of fabricating Schengen visa documents and engaging in human trafficking.

According to a Moroccan security source, the person who was arrested is a member of a criminal organization that has a history of creating fictitious administrative documents that are required in order to obtain visas for Europe. Charges against the defendant stem from his alleged participation in illegal immigration schemes planned by this criminal organization.

According to the same source, the arrested person was also discovered to be in possession of counterfeit documents, business records, work certificates, a collection of stamps, fictitious marriage contracts, and receipts for monetary transactions.

According to the National Security database, the suspect is wanted by the Royal Gendarmerie Services of Settat and the National Judicial Police Division on charges of engaging in narcotics distribution and counterfeiting.

According to Morocco World News, a judicial inquiry is presently being conducted under the supervision of the pertinent public court with the objective of identifying every person connected to these illicit acts.

Suspects involved in the falsification of application materials for Schengen visas are not unusual in Morocco. Eight individuals were apprehended by Moroccan police in Oujda, Nador, and Berkane in October of the previous year on suspicion of participating in the forging of official documents and bank records needed to apply for travel visas to European nations.

According to data from Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), in 2022, 32,733 people—including 28,146 foreign nationals—were apprehended by the police for allegedly trying to enter the country illegally. Law enforcement found and confiscated around 832 forged travel documents during that same year.

Morocco is the most popular country in Africa in terms of Schengen visa applications, having filed 423,201 applications in total in 2022. Approximately 57.5% of these applications—or 282,301 approved requests—received positive responses.