Spanish authorities have dismantled an organized crime network operating in Barcelona, specializing in the theft of mobile phones, unlocking them, and illegally selling them in Morocco. This comes as the Moroccan judicial police have referred a similar network to the prosecutor’s office in Casablanca.
According to the newspaper “El Caso,” the gang carried out dozens of thefts across Spain, obtaining 56 phones worth 59,000 euros. The operation resulted in the arrest of 15 individuals aged between 22 and 70, who face charges related to violent theft, fraud, and membership in a criminal organization. Sources indicated that some members of the network successfully hacked into the bank applications of their victims and seized amounts exceeding 26,000 euros.
In Morocco, the national police’s judicial division has referred six people for suspected links to a criminal network that specializes in smuggling and selling phones stolen during a robbery in France last February. Interventions led to the seizure of 31 phones and questionable electronic equipment, alongside the arrest of two traders in Marrakech and Rabat, as well as four others involved in the case.
Moroccan and Spanish authorities continue their investigations to unravel the connections between these networks, amidst indications of cross-border links exploiting stolen phones for illegal financial activities, raising concerns over the expansion of the smuggling market for electronic devices between Europe and Morocco.
