French Tourist Arrested in Morocco for Illegal Drone Use During Family Vacation

Julien, his wife Émilie, 38, and their 4-year-old son had a memorable week of vacation in the Moroccan city. "We only met charming people there," assures the Nice couple. But on the day of their departure, on April 29, Julien is arrested at the Ouarzazate airport after a drone, a prohibited device in Morocco, is found in his luggage. During the stay, Julien used his drone, bought in France, to take a few views of the magnificent landscapes, in the presence of their Moroccan guide who did not fail to remind him that this device is prohibited in the kingdom.

It was when he arrived at the airport to board the return flight to Marseille with his family that he was caught by the control agents when passing through the X-ray scanner. "As soon as I went to the other side, they got agitated saying: ’Drone, drone, drone!’. They searched everything. They confiscated my passport. I was arrested at 5:15 pm," Julien tells Nice-matin, adding that he tried to explain and show them the images taken by the drone. Without success. He will be taken to the police station.

The agents make him sign a dozen reports, without an interpreter. Julien, a jurist in Monaco, and his wife, a lawyer in Nice, believe that their rights were not respected. The couple denounces a situation "equivalent to a custody". Julien is then taken to the Ouarzazate police station. "They take me to one office. Then another. They try to take my fingerprints, but it doesn’t work. They then take a photo of me with a slate, like in a movie. I feel like a fugitive criminal!" he details.

A "good Samaritan" manages to get them out of trouble. Julien denounces the attitude of the Moroccan agents "who are clearly overzealous". The couple wanted to give this testimony "so that it doesn’t happen to others". "Our stupidity is not to have inquired before leaving," admits Julien. The official website France Diplomatie warns any traveler that "the discovery of a drone in the luggage exposes its owner to a fine and confiscation of the device by customs. The use of a drone in Morocco without authorization can lead to legal proceedings."