Moroccan police have arrested several Bulgarians and Iranians allegedly linked to a migrant smuggling network, the DGSN intelligence service said on Wednesday.
Officers at the international airport in Casablanca detained four Bulgarian nationals and three Iranians on Tuesday “for suspected links with an international human trafficking and clandestine immigration network,” a DGSN statement said.
The Iranians were caught trying to reach Spain with fake documents “according to a criminal modus operandi which consists of registering fraudulently on several flights”, it added.
The Bulgarians allegedly were involved in planning the illegal immigration attempt.
Investigators are continuing to examine “the international ramifications” of this network, the DGSN said.
Migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, regularly use Morocco as a launchpad for attempts to reach European shores.
Last year more than 4,000 migrants died or went missing in such attempts, mostly as they tried to reach the Canary Islands, according to rights group Caminando Fronteras.
Morocco is in the process of reactivating migration cooperation with Spain as part of moves to normalise ties after a year of strained relations.
Earlier this month the DGSN said Moroccan police arrested four suspects allegedly helping people to sell their organs to go abroad, in particular to Turkey, in connection with a criminal network.