Cross-border smuggling activities thwarted by National Gendarmerie Forces

Echorouk’s field reporter, who was just sent on assignment to the western Algerian town of Maghnia close to the border with Morocco, saw for himself the laudable and diligent work done daily by the National Gendarmerie Forces in the relentless struggle against the scourge of cross – border contraband and smuggling carried out in this area.

• National Gendarmerie forces, backed by border-guards, have succeeded in seizing 800 litres of petrol which were about to be smuggled into Morocco by a group of well – established smugglers operating on both sides of the border.
• These perfidious smugglers use big-engined vehicles and often donkeys for the covert transport of the smuggled products across the border into Moroccan soil.
• A “Renault 25” car was also intercepted by the Algerian border-guards with about 400 kilograms of drugs hidden on board the vehicle.
• The driver was immediately arrested and brought before the examining magistrate.
• Gendarmerie seizures also included 2.600 bottles of alcoholic beverages and over 15 thousand packets of cigarettes as part of these cross-border smuggling activities regularly pouring from western Algeria into Morocco’s border towns and localities.
• What is most disquieting in all this, is that some of these smuggled products are often exchanged for arms and ammunition destined to terrorist groups in Algeria affiliated to the Salafist group of preaching and combat – GSPC-.
• In this connection, 9.221 rounds of ammunition were reportedly seized by National Gendarmerie elements and an investigation is underway to unravel all the intricacies of the affair.