Coastal sand extraction on the Boumerdès beaches (Cap Djinet, Zemmouri)

Law 02-02 of 5 February 2002 on the coast requires an environmental impact study for extraction of materials on the shore and, in its Article 20, bans extraction in zones adjacent to beaches when they contribute to their equilibrium (except port dredging). Article 40 sets, for violations of Article 20, 6 months to 2 years' prison and a fine of DA 200,000 to 2,000,000, or one of the two, doubled on repeat offence; the court may confiscate tools, equipment and machinery. Law 03-02 of 17 February 2003 on beaches forbids beach concessionaires from extracting sand, gravel and stones (Article 32) and applies Article 40 of Law 02-02 (Article 50).

On 17 June 2008 Boumerdès prosecutor-general Boumediene Bacha announced severe measures: judges were instructed to act firmly and trucks and tools were to be seized on the spot. He linked sand trafficking to armed groups (GSPC) in the region, which was his claim.

On 28 May 2018 Algérie360 reported that the Thénia gendarmerie arrested a suspect and an associate at Zemmouri and seized two trucks of marine sand; both were placed in pre-trial detention and a trial was expected at the Bordj-Menaïel court. The outcome was not reported. The article listed Cap Djinet among the affected localities.

On 29 April 2020 Echorouk reported that sand removal at Cap Djinet beach had increased during the COVID-19 confinement as patrols were reduced; trucks carried plates from Tizi Ouzou, Algiers, Bouira and Tipaza, local young men loaded sand for a fee, and the sand was stored on farmland or sold to quarry operators. Residents linked the traffic to fatal road accidents on the RN24 and appealed to the wali. Echorouk mentioned no arrests or court cases.

Algérie360 reported in 2013, at national level, that concessions were obtained for DA 50,000, sand sold at over DA 10,000 per three-tonne truck, profits reached up to DA 1 million a month, and environmental associations estimated over 370,000 m3 removed each year. For comparison, in Jijel wilaya in 2019, 2,467 m3 of sand worth 'more than 6 billion centimes' (DA 60 million) were seized in 34 cases, with 12 people arrested and 7 jailed (Liberté, via Coastal Care).