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Casablanca: First conviction in the case of Moroccan hostages in Myanmar
Casablanca, November 5, 2025 — A Moroccan court has handed down the first conviction related to the high-profile case of Moroccan citizens held hostage in Myanmar.
A Casablanca tribunal sentenced a man, Nabil Moafik, to five years in prison for human trafficking, according to the Associated Press. The defendant was accused of recruiting several Moroccans under the false pretense of employment opportunities in Asia. Job offers posted online promised attractive salaries in Thailand, but once the victims arrived, they were trafficked to Myanmar and forced to participate in online scam operations.
The prosecution explained that Moafik managed a Facebook group meant to assist Moroccan expatriates in settling in Turkey. Through that platform, he allegedly shared job advertisements for call center positions in Thailand. One victim, Youssef Amzouz, responded to the ad and was eventually contacted by another recruiter, who sent him money for a flight to Malaysia. Upon arrival, Amzouz was introduced to another Moroccan who demanded either a ransom payment or the recruitment of 100 other people in exchange for his freedom.
Moafik denied all accusations, claiming he was merely a middleman. “I earned between $21 and $107 for each person recruited,” he told the court, insisting he had no knowledge of the trafficking scheme. However, prosecutors argued that Moafik played a central role in exploiting job seekers for profit.
Victims who attended the hearing described scenes of torture and degrading treatment in the Myanmar scam centers. Some were only released after paying ransom in cryptocurrency, according to court documents cited by their lawyers.
This marks the first conviction in Morocco of an individual linked to the recruitment of citizens for so-called “scam centers” in Asia. According to the United Nations, around 120,000 people are currently trapped in such centers across the region, with several countries, including Morocco, pursuing legal action to dismantle these human trafficking networks.
