British Nationals Arrested in Marrakech for Counterfeit Money Scheme and Assault

According to the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), they are accused of forgery and currency trafficking, assault, injury and pimping. "The suspects had gone to a currency exchange agency in the Guéliz district to exchange a sum of 1,170 British pounds, of which 32 banknotes of 20 pounds were found to be counterfeit," reads the statement. The document adds that the employee of the agency, who discovered the counterfeiting operation, was the victim of an assault by one of the accused, in order to facilitate the escape of the defendants.

After being identified, the five tourists were arrested 35 kilometers from Marrakech, more precisely in the rural commune of Sidi Abdellah Ghiat, according to the DGSN, which states that two counterfeit 20-pound sterling banknotes were seized in their possession, in addition to a sum of money in local currency, suspected of being the proceeds of the counterfeit foreign currency trafficking operations.

The statement also indicates that five people were arrested at the same location as the defendants, including two girls, for their alleged involvement in pimping and in the accommodation of persons engaged in counterfeiting.