Counterfeit luxury alcohol in the nightclubs of Marrakech and Casablanca: a vast investigation underway

The investigation, led by the National Customs Brigade, is focusing on Casablanca, Marrakech and Tangier. The network would supply nightclubs and private clients through a parallel distribution channel. To sell the goods, the bottles, which bear false tax stamps, are sold as authentic imported products at prices about 30% lower than their actual value, informs Hespress.

The investigations have also made it possible to trace the route of this smuggling. The products would first be transported via the Mauritanian ports before entering Morocco. They are then stored in clandestine warehouses, described as farms, villas or apartments on the outskirts of cities, where they are repackaged before being put on the market.

Estimated losses of 165 million dirhams

The case has been entrusted to the National Customs Brigade, a rapid intervention unit with national prerogatives, including the right to search, to trace the entire supply chain. The investigators are using significant means, including drones to monitor the steep roads used by the traffickers, and are working in coordination with the security services to locate the warehouses.

The financial stakes of this traffic are considerable. According to information reported by the media, the network’s turnover could exceed 165 million dirhams. These sums represent a major tax loss for the public treasury, which plans to collect more than 3.4 billion dirhams in alcohol taxes in 2026.

Beyond tax evasion, these products, which escape any health control, pose a direct risk to consumer safety. The investigators are currently preparing search operations in the identified distribution points, which should be followed by criminal prosecutions and heavy customs fines for the people involved.