In the forests of Milan: Moroccan minors exploited by drug mafia

Friday 08 August 2025 - 15:00

A recent investigation by Italy's Corriere della Sera has unveiled a grim reality in the forests near Milan, where organized criminal networks are exploiting underage boys and young men from Beni Mellal, Morocco, in large-scale drug trafficking operations.

The report describes a “modern slavery system,” meticulously structured, where vulnerable Moroccan youths are recruited from impoverished neighborhoods affected by poverty, school dropout, and social exclusion. These youths are smuggled through the so-called “Spanish route” — a well-known corridor for illegal migration into Italy.

Once in Milan, the victims are placed in abandoned buildings or makeshift rural farms near forested zones like Groane Park. These are often provided or rented by accomplices of Maghrebi origin and serve as hubs for storing drugs and organizing daily sales deep in the woods.

The investigation reveals that the minors live in total isolation. They are forbidden from leaving their lodgings, even for essential needs, to avoid detection by neighbors or law enforcement. Each youth must carry a set amount of drugs daily and is held strictly accountable for every gram and euro. Any discrepancy results in harsh punishment, including physical abuse and torture.

Some are forced to defend the goods violently, wielding machetes and even biting during police encounters to spread fear or simulate infectious diseases.

Italian authorities have deployed elite units such as the Cacciatori, specialized in forest raids and covert tracking, while the Rho gendarmerie battalion uses surveillance and wiretaps to dismantle the network. However, the newspaper highlights the troubling absence of coordinated support from civil society and social institutions, crucial in prevention and reintegration efforts.

This alarming situation reflects a growing nexus between migration, organized crime, and youth exploitation in the heart of Europe.