فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
French newspaper “Le Parisien” has revealed that French authorities have arrested a Moroccan citizen suspected of being the mastermind behind a migrant smuggling network known as “Khadija,” which has been active for 26 years.
According to the same source, the suspect, a 43-year-old man named Khalid, was charged in March with forgery, use of forged documents, membership in a criminal gang, and offering services to a public official. He was imprisoned on December 3rd.
The newspaper reported that the investigation began based on anonymous information describing the suspect as a “graying man with a beard and wearing glasses.” The accused is believed to have been one of the intermediaries in a migrant smuggling network that has been active for 26 years and bears the name of its manager, “Khadija.”
The network reportedly charged between 6,000 and 7,000 euros from those wishing to immigrate in exchange for obtaining a tourist visa, then assisting them with regularization procedures at the prefecture in the Île-de-France region.
The defendant’s lawyer argued that his client was merely a customer of “Khadija” and his goal was to “bring his sister from Morocco.” The lawyer added that his client did not receive any money, pointing out that search operations proved this, as he was living in a room in a social hotel and no wealth was found in his possession.
French authorities have managed to identify five other individuals suspected of belonging to the network, three men and two women. However, “Khadija’s” modus operandi remains mysterious, especially regarding how she provides the necessary documents from Morocco. What is certain is that hundreds of Moroccan migrants have been able to reach France through this network.
This case remains under investigation by French authorities as part of their efforts to combat illegal immigration and dismantle migrant smuggling networks.
