A Guardian investigation reveals a “white powder trail” that connects brutal gangs with hundreds of vulnerable African minors. To satisfy the continent’s ravenous appetite for cocaine, hundreds of unaccompanied minor migrants are being forced to labor as soldiers for progressively stronger drug cartels throughout Europe. According to sources who spoke to the Guardian, police recently discovered several Moroccan and Algerian children who appeared to have been tortured. They believe the children were brought into the nation by cocaine gangs, and London may be the next stop. The extent of exploitation was so severe that in March, European Union police forces, UK and UN agencies, and Europol convened to discuss on strategies for addressing the exploitation and trafficking of African children by drug networks operating in western Europe.
An Unlimited Human Resource
EU police forces have warned of industrial-scale exploitation of African children by cocaine networks operating in western Europe in cities including Paris and Brussels as they seek to expand Europe’s £10bn cocaine market.
Child protection organizations issued warnings that cocaine gangs are using cruel tactics to subjugate their victims, including torture and rape if they don’t sell enough drugs. These gangs are taking advantage of the “unlimited” supply of vulnerable African children at their disposal.
According to a recent document submitted to Europol by the Belgian federal police, “Every year, thousands of unaccompanied foreign minors enter the EU and disappear without leaving a trace.” Many of them have their traumas exacerbated by being “captured” by criminal circles and used for their own gain.
Chief of human trafficking and smuggling for the Belgian federal judicial police Eric Garbar is among the officials spearheading efforts to combat the trafficking and exploitation of unaccompanied minors by criminal organizations. “The most important area with African minors, primarily Moroccan and Algerian, is the exploitation by OCGs [organized crime groups] involved in criminal activities like drug trafficking,” he stated.An unstoppable, reasonably priced human resource from Africa is what the EU possesses.
In a recent assessment, the European Union police forces looking into serious organized crime and human trafficking came to the following conclusion: “Several concrete cases of the exploitation of hundreds of North African minors recruited by drug trafficking networks to sell narcotics were presented by Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and France.”
Many sources speculate that the actual number may be in the thousands. According to the most recent police data, 15 928 unaccompanied minors entered Europe in 2022 – many of them later vanished.
Even though it is prohibited nowadays, holding unaccompanied minors in detention is still very common in the EU. According to planned laws, unaccompanied minors who represent a “danger to national security” may spend up to three months in detention at border facilities.
During the May 15 Coreper meeting, a representative stated, “Exempting unaccompanied minors from border procedures represents a major risk for the protection of our borders” and added that such an exemption might encourage “the trafficking of minor migrants.”
According to a recent investigation, some Member States led by France were actively pushing for the new EU Migration Pact to contain a toughened clause that would allow border authorities to hold minor migrants.
The French delegate applauded the decision to remove age restrictions on when authorities could hold arriving migrants during a meeting on May 15, 2023. “France expresses gratitude to the EU presidency for ending the exemption for children under 12 and their families.” Additionally early proponents of the French position were the Netherlands, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.
Over 50 000 unaccompanied minor migrants are reported missing in Europe
Tens of thousands of unaccompanied child migrants have disappeared after arriving in Europe over the past three years, an international investigation has found. On average, this equates to nearly 47 per day.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE! 🚨 Our months-long investigation uncovers a shocking reality. More than 50,000 unaccompanied child migrants vanished in Europe between 2021-2023. Contacting 31 European countries, 20 responded, 7 lacked data, and 11 didn’t respond.https://t.co/FcRLBuMGTT
— Lost in Europe (@Lost_in_EU) April 30, 2024
Ylva Johansson, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs in charge of immigration, attributed the issue to Europe’s “broken migration system” in an interview with rbb24, a German news portal that is a part of the Lost in Europe network. She issued a warning that human traffickers might use the children in question as their victims.
Despite being under the purview of the Home Office, “more than 200” immigrant children have vanished since July 2021, a junior minister of the UK government acknowledged in early 2024.
With 22 899 and 20 077 cases, respectively, Italy and Austria top the list of countries where missing unaccompanied minors are registered. Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland follow with between 2 200 and 1 200 cases reported. Certain nations, such as Greece, Romania, and Spain, do not keep track of unaccompanied minors or list Spain as a category of migrants.
The Moroccan Mafia: Connection to the Trafficking Industry
The Moroccan “Mocro Maffia” is one of the main groups that police accuses of abusing the kids. Several of the biggest cocaine trafficking cartels in Europe are members of the organization, and they collaborate directly with producers in South America. The group is believed to be active at Antwerp, the main port for cocaine entering Europe in Belgium. The moniker “Mocro Maffia” comes from the fact that some of its members are of Moroccan descent.
Known for their viciousness, the Mocro Maffia has threatened the justice minister of Belgium as well as the Dutch crown princess in the Netherlands. Some of its members who were implicated in a string of gangland murders earlier this year received life sentences. One of the most potent criminal organizations active in the Netherlands, northern France, and Belgium is called Mocro, and it is the driving force behind a number of incidents involving money, addiction, and contract killings.
According to police evidence, kids are directly trafficked from Morocco to Europe’s cocaine networks, with many of them being drawn in by social media ads and promises of a better life.
According to Garber, “The Mocro Maffia are aware that they have an endless supply of human resources back home.” The commissioner for children’s rights in Flanders, Caroline Vrijens, declared that African children were the “most vulnerable” in Europe and urged the government to take immediate action to address the problem.
