Such smuggling, known euphemistically in Ceuta as "atypical trade", has become a money-spinner for the densely populated city occupying a slither of land near the Strait of Gibraltar.
It also staves off hunger in Morocco's long-neglected north, where an ambitious drive to redevelop the region with ports and free trade zones has yet to transform local lives.
Yet much of the economic logic for contraband may be swept aside in 2012, when customs duties on most consumer goods between Morocco and the European Union are due to be removed. Local Moroccans fear for their livelihoods.
"If ever this trade stops, we in Morocco will start eating each other," said the porter Abdelkader.
Spain took formal control of Ceuta from Portugal in 1668 and has guarded it jealously ever since for the protection it offered Spanish ships and its strategic position as a trading post between Europe and Africa.
RESIDENCE CARDS
In theory, free access to Ceuta is reserved for Moroccans from the region who have relatives in the city. Those people accuse Moroccan officials of selling local residence cards to Moroccans from other regions who want a share in the trade.
Traffic the other way has grown as Spaniards enter Morocco to buy seaside villas, take a holiday or visit cheap dentists.
After the 2005 violence sparked by the African migrants' exodus, two six-meter-high fences topped with razor wire have been erected in Ceuta, separated by service roads with regular car and dog patrols and backed up with electronic sensors.
European security officials see the enclaves as a front line against illegal migrants, drugs and Islamic militants. But security fears increase as Ceuta's economic ties to the surrounding area deepen and traffic grows.
"The border is both very open and very closed. I think one day the situation will explode," said Michel Peraldi, an expert on informal border economies at French state research body CNRS.
Morocco claims Ceuta and Melilla for its own and withdrew its ambassador in Madrid last year to protest at a visit by King Juan Carlos to the enclaves, the first of his 32-year reign.
Ceuta, with a population of 77,000, has the highest unemployment rate in Spain according to 2006 figures. Many of the jobless are Ceutan Muslims who complain of discrimination. Some say their ethnic Spanish counterparts label them "Moors".
At the same time, their ties to Morocco are weakening.
"Whether we like it or not, our children are becoming Spanish in their thoughts, their language and culture," said Ahmed El Yazid, an Imam at a Ceuta mosque. "The only thing linking us with Morocco now is the flame of Islam."
Ceuta's Muslim community depends heavily on commerce with the mainland and Yazid said most would prefer the territory to remain Spanish for fear of losing their livelihoods.
