Mali: 43,5 million FCFA worth of motorcycle registration stickers intercepted in Bamako

Official channels for issuing motorcycle registration stickers have been circumvented on a large scale in Mali. On November 5, 2026, Customs officials intercepted a shipment of 7,000 stickers at Modibo-Keïta International Airport, with a face value of 43,5 million CFA francs.

The documents were concealed in three suitcases arriving from an Asian country. Acting on prior intelligence, agents targeted the luggage and searched it. The search also uncovered 30 Redmi phones and 242 counterfeit jerseys of the Malian national team, the Eagles.

The batch includes 6,750 stickers worth 6,000 FCFA each and 250 others worth 12,000 FCFA each. Their introduction outside official channels raises concerns about public revenue and the control of the administrative regularity of motorcycles.

Beyond the value of the seizure, this operation reveals the diversity of goods transported in fraudulent circuits and recalls the role of customs services in protecting state revenue.

Yolande Bazié