Algerian Soldiers and Police Militias: Official Smugglers

Long condemned by those detained in the Dintouf camps, in vain, supporters of some members of the Polisario leadership fell into the trap of investigators, with the cooperation of senior Algerian officials. Indeed, indisputable evidence confirms the close ties between the smuggling, diversion and commercialization of humanitarian aid to the Algerian military regime and the ruling Polisario gang. People who have succeeded in finding a coordination network between Polisario’s leaders and senior officers in the Algerian military establishment serve the common interests of these officers and Polisario puppets under the guise of security cooperation. The anger of the people who broke the silence brought the Algerian army to a standstill, forcing it to launch an investigation that led to the arrest of some members of the Polisario leadership. The latter tried to transfer a batch of 1,000 stolen mobile phones from Tintouf to a military plane. According to Forsatin, the cargo of cellphones was carefully hidden in several pieces of luggage belonging to the passengers. It was divided into 17 bags containing different camouflage materials. Investigators demonstrated that members of the gang benefited from complicity and facilitation at the level of all customs or police checkpoints within Algerian territory. This immunity is explained by the protection provided by a certain number of Algerian authorities who agreed to facilitate the work of these smugglers according to the circumstances of the monetary assessment. Algerian authorities have already arrested officers from the Fifth Military Region after a secret internal investigation into the case. The investigation proved their involvement in facilitating smuggling operations by members close to the Polisario leadership, especially since some of them were repeat offenders with criminal records and were complicit with the Polisario leadership and had influence over security. They are known to be involved in jewelry smuggling and facilitate the sale and exchange of equipment provided in the form of material aid to detainees in Tintouf camps.