France: six Algerians face prison after trafficking Moroccan minors
For luring unaccompanied and vulnerable Moroccan minors into drug abuse and to committing crimes, on the 13th of January six Algerians were sentenced to prison time by the criminal court in Paris, according to Asharg Al-Awsat and agencies.
The presiding judge explained that these minors had placed their trust into these Arab-speaking adults under the pretence of “being close to their community”. As a result, these minors were exposed to physical, psychological and socially vulnerable exploitation. The judge indicated that the six Algerians turned the unaccompanied into “tools” and the “modus operandi” counted on “enslaving the minors”.
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The accused were convicted of manipulating the minors into committing thefts against tourists and rewarding them with mind-altering substances between 2021 and 2022.
The court deemed these acts as “particularly serious” due to the “physical and psychological harm caused to the Moroccan minors” taking into account the requests of the public prosecutor.
The verdict sentenced the six Algerians to imprisonment from one to six years as well as a ban on five of the convicted from entering French territory, some of them being ordered to depart before the trial. On top of this, the convicted were ordered to pay a fine of €20,000 collectively for compensation for the twelve minors who claimed against them.
The court confirmed that the investigation revealed “a horizontal operating system for the gang” however, there was no evidence to prove the gang were performing as a “hierarchical and organised” network.
A seventh person was fined €5,000 and sentenced to one year in prison for narcotics trafficking but no evidence of human trafficking.
Asharq Al Awsat
