Most of the 19- to 65-year-old suspects have criminal records and they were arrested during security operations carried out simultaneously in several districts of Meknes in coordination with the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), said a security source.
The suspects were specifically arrested for their alleged links to criminal networks dedicated to extorting merchants and vendors and threatening them of commit crimes in exchange for sums of money collected periodically under the pretext of allowing them to carry out their commercial activities.
Initial elements of the investigation indicate that the suspects operated illegal parking lots without authorization and used them to extort money from drivers without legal grounds, the same source added.
The defendants were taken into custody for the judicial investigation, which will be conducted under the supervision of the competent prosecutor’s office, in order to clarify the details of this case and determine the possible consequences of this criminal activity.
