Algerian authorities announced on Tuesday, January 2, that they had «dismantled in Mostaganem an international illegal migration network, whose sponsors are based in Morocco», local media reported. The operation has led to the «arrest of 25 individuals, including 24 Moroccans, for forming a criminal organization, human trafficking, arranging illegal migration by sea, as well as hosting foreigners without a residence permit», the same sources add. For the record, the Algerian Ministry of Defense, placed under the authority of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, announced on December 13 «the arrest of three Moroccan nationals for attempting to illegally cross maritime borders using a jet-ski». The Algerian authorities are accustomed to pointing the finger at Morocco as the source of irregular migration, drug trafficking and counterfeit bank notes «which flood» their country.
