A Casablanca court on Tuesday sentenced a man to five years in prison and fined him 1 million dirhams for human trafficking, in Morocco's first ruling against someone accused of luring citizens into scam compounds in Myanmar, the Associated Press reported. The case involved several young Moroccans who were promised well-paying jobs in Thailand but were instead trafficked to Myanmar, where they were forced to take part in online fraud operations. Victims told the court they endured torture and degrading treatment, and some were released only after paying ransoms in cryptocurrency. Prosecutors said the defendant, N.M., who managed a Facebook group for Moroccan immigrants in Turkey, had posted ads for call-center jobs in Thailand. One victim, Youssef Amzouz, who responded to the post, was connected with another Moroccan recruiter who interviewed him and sent money for a plane ticket to Malaysia. A police report revealed that N.M. introduced Amzouz to another man who later demanded that he either pay a ransom or recruit 100 others to secure his release. N.M. told the judge that Amzouz later called him after escaping the scam compound, saying he was receiving hospital treatment for injuries caused by torture. The defendant denied all charges, calling human trafficking a «crime against humanity» and insisting, «I was just a job mediator. I was getting between $21 and $107 for each person I recruited. I did not know that all of this would happen». Prosecutors, however, argued that his actions made him «an essential element in the crime of human trafficking». Earlier this year, Morocco's Foreign Ministry said it had helped secure the release of 34 citizens trafficked to such compounds in Myanmar, where victims were reportedly taken to rebel-controlled areas and forced to work in cybercrime call centers after being lured with fake job offers in Thailand. Article modified on : 05/11/2025 12h24
