On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, a Casablanca courtroom handed down a landmark verdict that is reverberating across Morocco and beyond. Nabil Moafik, a Moroccan national, was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $107,300 in fines for human trafficking—marking the country’s first-ever conviction against someone accused of luring citizens into the sinister world of scam compounds in Asia, according to the Associated Press and other local media.
This case, which has captured national attention, centers on a disturbing trend that’s not unique to Morocco but has recently come into sharper focus there. Young Moroccans, facing limited economic opportunities at home, were seduced by the promise of lucrative call-center jobs in Thailand. Instead of a new beginning, they found themselves trafficked over 9,300 miles (14,966 kilometers) away to Myanmar, where they were forced to facilitate online fraud and scams in harsh, exploitative conditions.
In court, several victims recounted harrowing experiences, describing torture and degrading treatment inside the Myanmar scam centers. Some were only able to secure their release after paying ransoms—often in cryptocurrency—according to court documents reviewed by attorneys and as reported by the Associated Press. The details are chilling, painting a picture of a global trafficking network that preys on hope and desperation.
Prosecutors laid out a web of connections, alleging that Moafik ran a Facebook group designed to help Moroccan immigrants navigate life in Turkey. It was there that he posted an advertisement for call-center work in Thailand, a seemingly innocuous opportunity that would become a trap for those who responded. One such individual, Youssef Amzouz, responded to the ad and was soon put in touch with another Moroccan recruiter. He was interviewed and even sent money to purchase a plane ticket to Malaysia, believing he was on the cusp of a better life.
But after arrival, the reality was starkly different. According to a police report read aloud in court, Moafik introduced Amzouz to another Moroccan who ultimately demanded that he either pay a ransom or recruit 100 others to secure his own freedom. The pressure and coercion didn’t end there. Victims described a system where the only way out was to perpetuate the cycle, becoming unwilling recruiters themselves or paying large sums under duress.
Moafik, for his part, denied the charges vehemently. Addressing the judge, he declared, “I was just a job mediator. I was getting between $21 to $107 for each person I recruited. I did not know that all of this would happen.” He went so far as to call human trafficking a “crime against humanity” he would never commit, insisting on his ignorance of the true nature of the scheme. Yet, the prosecution argued that Moafik’s actions were not those of a mere intermediary, accusing him of seeking profit through the trade in human lives. “An essential element in the crime of human trafficking,” the state prosecutor said, describing Moafik’s role in the broader machinery of exploitation.
The United Nations, through its International Organization for Migration, has highlighted the complexity of such cross-border crimes. Middlemen, they note, can sometimes be unaware of the full extent of their involvement in trafficking networks, complicating efforts to bring perpetrators to justice. Still, the court’s decision to convict Moafik signals a turning point for Moroccan authorities, who are now grappling with a phenomenon that has ensnared thousands worldwide.
Indeed, the scope of the problem is staggering. The United Nations estimates that roughly 120,000 people are currently trapped in so-called scam centers across Asia. These operations, often run by transnational criminal syndicates, rely on a steady stream of vulnerable recruits from countries like Morocco, lured by the promise of high wages and adventure abroad. Once inside, they are stripped of their passports, subjected to violence, and forced to carry out online scams targeting people around the globe.
The Moroccan government has not stood idle in the face of these revelations. Earlier in 2025, according to local news outlet Hespress, Morocco’s Foreign Ministry managed to secure the release of 34 citizens who had been trafficked to online scam centers in Myanmar. While the ministry declined to comment to the Associated Press on the total number of Moroccans affected, the rescue operation was widely seen as a sign of growing official recognition of the problem.
For the victims, however, the scars—both physical and psychological—remain. In Casablanca, survivors who testified in court spoke of the trauma they endured and the sense of betrayal at having been deceived by compatriots. Some said they had to pay ransoms in cryptocurrency, a method favored by traffickers for its anonymity and difficulty to trace. Others described witnessing torture and other forms of degrading treatment, underscoring the brutality of life inside the scam compounds.
The case against Moafik is not the only one making its way through Moroccan courts. Authorities are now pursuing several other prosecutions related to human trafficking and online scam recruitment, a sign that the country is beginning to take the issue more seriously. Still, the challenges are immense. The International Organization for Migration points out that prosecuting such crimes is notoriously difficult, especially when middlemen claim ignorance or operate across multiple jurisdictions.
Youssef Amzouz’s story, as detailed in court documents and reported by the Associated Press, is emblematic of the broader crisis. After being lured by the promise of a better life, Amzouz found himself trapped in a nightmare, forced to choose between paying a ransom or becoming a recruiter himself. After his eventual escape, he reportedly contacted Moafik from a hospital, where he was receiving treatment for injuries sustained from torture. The human cost of these schemes is all too real, and the ripple effects are felt far beyond the courtroom.
This landmark ruling has sent a clear message: Morocco is no longer willing to turn a blind eye to the exploitation of its citizens abroad. As prosecutions continue and awareness grows, the hope is that fewer young Moroccans will fall prey to the false promises of traffickers. But with an estimated 120,000 people still trapped in scam centers across Asia, the fight is far from over. For now, the conviction of Nabil Moafik stands as both a warning and a call to action, reminding everyone that the search for opportunity should never come at the cost of human dignity and freedom.
