French Tourists Detained in Morocco Over Illegal Drone Possession

Leaving Charente-Maritime on March 2, Deolinda de Barros, David Baetens, Fabien Roman and Lionel Prat had planned to return to France on March 13, after doing 4X4 in the dunes of the Sahara south of Ouarzazate. But they were blocked on Monday by customs at the Moroccan border in Sebta because two drones were found in their luggage. The use of these devices is prohibited in Morocco to limit "security risks and infringement of property and privacy," reports Sud Ouest.

Fabien Roman, 35, and David Baetens, 49, out of ignorance of the law, did not declare these devices upon arrival in the kingdom, and even used them during their stay. This is why the drones were confiscated by customs on their return. "Right away, they asked us ’where are the drones?’, then ’are you the French who speak a little Arabic?’. I was stunned. I’ve traveled the world with my drone, I’ve never had a problem," says Fabien Roman, a merchant in import in Breuil-Magné.

"We felt like we were in a TV series, they took us for spies," adds David Baetens, CEO domiciled in La Vallée. The vehicles of the two tourists are searched and seized, as well as the registration documents, the drones, their passports and their phones. After back and forth between customs and the police, they spend a night at the police station without drinking or eating. Then they take a taxi to Tétouan, 40 kilometers from the border, to report their problem to the administration.

"We didn’t know what sauce we were going to be eaten. We just knew that the drones were being analyzed by the scientific police and that we could still be detained, because we were the subject of an investigation," explains Fabien Roman. On Tuesday, they get their phones back. But it’s not until Wednesday that the scientific police concluded that the drones had not recorded anything suspicious. The two tourists are fined 150 euros each anyway. They recover all their papers and devices as well as their 4X4s and leave the kingdom without the desire to return.