Police in Marrakech, working with the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance, have arrested five foreign nationals. Authorities suspect them of hacking online betting platforms and diverting illegally obtained funds to personal accounts. The group includes four Belarusian citizens and one French national. Police detained all of them on November 15 as part of a coordinated operation.
Authorities report that the French suspect mainly transferred the illicit funds. The four Belarusian suspects breached the security systems of multiple betting applications. Police apprehended the French national at a villa in the Tasalant area on the outskirts of Marrakech.
During the operation, searches of several residences led to the seizure of computers, storage devices, and various internet equipment. These items are currently undergoing forensic analysis at the National Police’s digital evidence laboratory to uncover the full extent of the cybercrime.
Officials confirmed that the suspects’ actions caused substantial financial losses for both users and operators of the platforms. Investigators believe the group used advanced technical methods to access the betting applications without authorization. They also routed the illicit funds through suspicious financial channels both within Morocco and abroad.
Police have placed the five suspects in custody and referred them to the office of the public prosecutor. Authorities are now working to determine the full scale of the criminal network. They are also identifying any additional accomplices and assessing the total number of victims, both in Morocco and abroad.
According to officials, this operation is part of wider national efforts to combat cybercrime and enhance the security of financial and commercial digital platforms. The authorities emphasized their commitment to protecting users and businesses from increasingly sophisticated online threats, highlighting the growing importance of cybersecurity measures in the country’s digital economy.
