Migrants Duped: Costly ’Spain-Bound’ Voyage Ends in Moroccan Port of Larache

Between 10,000 and 15,000 dirhams spent, for a simple and dangerous boat trip, to Larache, departing from a point near Kenitra, according to information that reached us from Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, relayed by the website, Le360.

The so-called smugglers made them turn in the middle of the ocean for a few days. Then, they led them, at night, around 1 a.m., to Larache. This happened on the night of Tuesday, June 25 to Wednesday, June 26, 2019. There were 19 of them in total, and they really thought they had succeeded in crossing to Spain. In fact, they had only traveled 128 kilometers, in the most uncomfortable conditions. In addition, they risked their lives, as well as paying a large sum of money.

Le360 describes a scene that one does not know whether to laugh or cry: "Believing they had actually arrived at their destination, after setting foot on solid ground and seeing a butcher’s shop whose name is written in the language of Cervantes, they quickly became disillusioned when they took the "Moulay Ismail" Boulevard, where typical Moroccan petit taxis were parked in front of a mosque, waiting for potential customers."

It should be noted that the same source indicates that this "crossing" was carried out in a fishing boat. Perhaps it was a fisherman who played them such a bad trick!

Welcome to Larache!