Import controls: President Tebboune mandates maximum penalties for health-threatening products

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has directed the expansion of quality control laboratories across Algeria’s major ports and airports to ensure public health safety. The instruction prioritizes high-traffic entry points such as Oran, Mostaganem, Ghazaouet, Jijel, and Annaba, moving beyond the two existing facilities currently operating in Algiers. Furthermore, the President has ordered the Ministry of Justice to strengthen the legal framework, mandating maximum penalties, including imprisonment, for importers who deliberately introduce products that pose a public health risk. The government has been instructed to maintain 24-hour surveillance at all entry points to curb dangerous imports, further tightening the import regulatory measures that have been in place since July 2025.