Ofure Akhigbe
A Moroccan court on Tuesday, November 4, issued the country’s first human trafficking sentence linked to online scam operations in Asia, jailing a man for five years and fining him $107,300 for his role in luring victims abroad under false pretences.
The ruling marks a landmark moment in Morocco’s legal efforts to combat human trafficking, after investigators found that Nabil Moafik deceived several young Moroccans with promises of lucrative jobs in Thailand, only for them to be trafficked to Myanmar and forced to work in online scam compounds.
Victims told the court in Casablanca they were subjected to torture and other degrading treatment while being forced to participate in fraudulent online schemes more than 9,300 miles (14,966 kilometres) from home. Some said they had to pay ransoms in cryptocurrency to secure their release.
Moafik denied involvement in human trafficking, claiming he merely acted as a job mediator and was unaware of the exploitation network. “I was just a job mediator. I was getting between $21 and $107 for each person I recruited,” he told the court.
Prosecutors, however, argued that Moafik played a central role in the human trafficking operation. They said he ran a Facebook group for Moroccan migrants in Turkey, where he posted false job ads for call-centre positions in Thailand. One victim, Youssef Amzouz, responded to an ad and was later trafficked to Myanmar.
A police report read in court said Moafik introduced Amzouz to another Moroccan who later demanded that he either pay a ransom or recruit 100 other people to secure his freedom.
The United Nations estimates that around 120,000 people are trapped in such “scam centres” across Southeast Asia, with similar human trafficking prosecutions underway globally. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said middlemen are sometimes unaware they are aiding trafficking, complicating international investigations.
Earlier this year, Morocco’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the release of 34 citizens trafficked to online scam centres in Myanmar, though it did not reveal the total number affected.
The verdict underscores Morocco’s growing commitment to fight human trafficking, setting a precedent for future prosecutions involving international online scam networks.