Morocco joins Interpol operation targeting terrorism and cross-border crime

13:38

By: Azzat Manal

Morocco joins Interpol operation targeting terrorism and cross-border crime

Morocco took part in a three-week INTERPOL-coordinated border security operation aimed at identifying internationally wanted individuals and disrupting terrorist and transnational criminal activity across the Middle East and North Africa.

Known as Operation Phoenix, the initiative brought together law enforcement authorities from Morocco, Algeria, Jordan, Palestine and Tunisia. The operation used INTERPOL's international databases and policing tools to strengthen checks at air, land and sea border crossings and identify people, travel documents and other items linked to criminal investigations.

According to INTERPOL, the operation resulted in 48 arrests, including nine people wanted internationally. Eight of those arrested were the subject of INTERPOL Red Notices, while another was wanted through an INTERPOL Wanted Persons Diffusion. More than 700,000 searches were carried out against INTERPOL databases, producing 246 matches involving individuals or travel documents.

Authorities also recovered five travel documents listed as stolen or lost in INTERPOL's databases. Among the other items seized during the operation were 11 luxury vehicles, 1.8 kilograms of gold, 13,000 Captagon tablets, 123 crystal methamphetamine capsules, 530 mobile phones and more than 1,500 cartons of smuggled cigarettes. Cash amounting to $16,300 and €9,900 was also seized.

Several cases highlighted the role of cross-border police cooperation. In Algeria, authorities arrested a fugitive at Houari Boumediene International Airport who was wanted in connection with a 2022 shooting in Toulouse, France. INTERPOL said the suspect had previously been sentenced to eight years in prison for drug trafficking, criminal conspiracy and weapons offences before escaping from custody. Another fugitive wanted by French authorities was arrested at a land crossing between Algeria and Tunisia after previously receiving a 15-year prison sentence for murder.

Operation Phoenix also marked a first for the region in terms of operational leadership. According to INTERPOL, female police officers held full operational responsibility throughout the mission, from document checks and interviews at border crossings to the coordination of international police cooperation and activities at operational centres in Algiers and Amman.

The operation formed part of INTERPOL's Momentum-MENA project, a three-year initiative designed to strengthen law-enforcement capabilities across the region, with a particular focus on training and deploying women police officers. The project and Operation Phoenix received financial support from the European Union.

For Morocco, participation in the operation reflects the country's involvement in regional and international police cooperation mechanisms designed to improve information sharing and border security. By combining frontline checks with access to INTERPOL's global databases, participating authorities can more rapidly identify wanted individuals and documents as suspects and criminal networks move across national borders.

The results of Phoenix underline the importance of coordinated policing in addressing security threats that extend beyond individual countries, while demonstrating how international information-sharing systems can support investigations and border controls across the region.