Morocco Uncovers Major Customs Fraud Scheme Exploiting Vulnerable Individuals

Controllers from the Customs and Indirect Taxes Administration (ADII) discovered these illegal practices after a thorough investigation, conducted based on data transmitted by one of its services. The controllers scrutinized the situation of recently created companies suspected of engaging in such practices, particularly in the Casablanca and Tangier areas, reports Hespress.

These investigations, conducted in collaboration with the General Tax Directorate (DGI) and Bank Al-Maghrib, revealed the existence of a network involving fictitious companies managed by individuals with mental disorders and dedicated to the fraudulent import of goods. These companies bypass customs by falsifying invoices and manipulating declared values and classifications.

These companies made significant bank transfers and deposits in complicity with suppliers of false invoices and self-employed individuals, the investigators further noted. They cross-referenced this data with the tax declarations of these companies over the past two years, noting that some of them had recently requested to change their tax address.

By analyzing data from the "BADR" customs system, customs controllers established family ties between these managers with mental disorders and importers known to customs services for fraud.