Editorial photo #3528014 Human Interest
Trade At Melilla Border
A view of the queue of parked cars carrying goods and awaiting to pass the Farrakanh border crossing station. The Spanish semi-enclave of Melilla lives from the trade of the second-hand goods and it’s a lucrative business for the traders, but inhumane work for the carriers and workers who cross the border every day to earn a living. There are four border crossing stations between Morocco and Spain in the city of Melilla. Beni Ensar border crossing is the main official one. The Mariguari Border crossing is only for students. Only Moroccan citizens and Menilla residents can use the other two. They can drive through the Farrakanh border crossing or walk with goods through the Barrio Chino border crossing. A person passing the border crossing can walk and take parcels weighing up to 70 kilos through the Barrio Chino border crossing as duty-free 'hand luggage'. Melilla is part of Spain, but doesn’t belong to the European Customs Union. The duty-free transport of goods is actually illegal, but it is tolerated as long as only hand luggage is involved - irrespective of the weight. If the goods are in contact with their bodies, they remain tax and duty-free. It’s a perfidious but very lucrative business for the traders and one of Melilla’s most important sources of income. The border crossings close unexpectedly early, goods traffic backs up. On Wednesday, December 5, 2018, in Melilla, Spain. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto)
