Networks of smuggling mobile phones are rife in the Algerian market, that’s why the companies which operate within the law have reviewed their legal existence in Algeria and are set to leave the country after the customs services failed to combat efficiently this dangerous smuggling phenomenon nefarious to the national economy. The 2 companies concerned are “Motorola” and “Sony Ericsson”.

• Customs estimated the size of market that is controlled by the smuggling networks with about $250m. The smuggling networks extend to China and Britain via the Algerian-Moroccan borders and Spain, using packages that are transported by planes in order to introduce large quantities in order to dump the market.
• The number of shops selling mobile phones in Algeria reached, according to the figures by the National Centre of the National Register, 1.259 wholesale shops that sell mobile phones and accessories, including 600 owned by individuals and 599 owned by institutions, as well as 21.254 retail shops, 20.485 owned by individuals and 769 owned by companies. This network hires 56.000 people.
• According to reliable sources from the Ministry of Commerce, the commercial law prohibited every commercial transaction without a bill because it is the only evidence of the product’s source and course and any product without a bill will be seized directly at both the wholesale or retail shops, with the exception of  products that are the subject of an auction because a judicial report is enough to justify the course of the commodity. However, the main problem lies in the weakness of the means of control by the monitoring teams belonging to the ministry of trade.