Five detained for trafficking migrants between Ceuta and the mainland charging up to €9,000
The National Police dismantled two migrant trafficking networks operating between Ceuta and the Iberian coast. Those detained used speedboats and charged up to €9,000 per person.
Two networks dismantled for transporting migrants from Ceuta in vessels without safety measures
The National Police have dismantled two organisations dedicated to the illegal trafficking of migrants between Ceuta and the Iberian Peninsula, resulting in five arrests and tariffs reaching €9,000 per person. According to La Vanguardia, the arrests came after two parallel investigations that brought to light the operations of these criminal networks.
In the first operation, four people were detained—two in Ceuta and two in La Línea de la Concepción (Cádiz)—who are accused of criminal organisation and facilitation of irregular immigration. The second investigation concluded with the detention of a fifth man, sent to provisional prison after being identified as a suspected member of a similar network.
Speedboats and route lookouts
The first organisation operated between Ceuta and La Línea de la Concepción through a structured logistical system. Small-draught vessels departed from the Cádiz coast towards the autonomous city to collect people in irregular circumstances and subsequently transport them to the Peninsula.
The investigation began after locating a speedboat run aground on a rocky outcrop in the coastal area of Benzú, in Ceuta. Inspection determined that it showed damage consistent with high-speed navigation, although it had not actually transported migrants due to the grounding.
The network had intermediaries tasked with recruiting people from mass swimming crossings and offering them transport for around €9,000. Migrants remained housed in residential properties, garages or other waiting locations until being taken to the embarkation point. The organisation also employed support vehicles to move discretely and avoid areas of police surveillance.
The vessel pilots were selected for their experience in fast navigation and their ability to execute evasive manoeuvres. In exchange, those responsible for the organisation paid them substantial sums of money.
Seven people adrift for five hours in the Strait
The second investigation clarified the alleged participation of the detainee in a crossing carried out on 14 August, in which seven people were transported from Ceuta to the mainland coast in a five-metre-long and two-metre-wide vessel without minimum safety conditions.
The seven occupants were intercepted at around four in the morning on the beach known as El Burgo, in La Línea de la Concepción, after spending approximately five hours at sea and covering roughly 40 kilometres from Ceuta.
A witness stated that the organiser charged €8,000 per person, which represented an estimated profit of €56,000 in a single journey with seven occupants. The passengers, crammed into the small vessel, travelled without life jackets, without signalling or rescue equipment, and in the presence of people with little or no swimming ability.
Intense fog and wet clothing in open waters
The crossing took place entirely at night. According to witness testimony, intense fog was recorded during the journey that hindered navigation and considerably reduced the chances of being spotted by other vessels in case of emergency.
Weather conditions, the state of the vessel and the absence of safety equipment significantly increased the danger, the National Police noted. Passengers also had to endure the cold caused by wet clothing and water and swell entering the interior of the vessel.
The detainee was sent to provisional prison for an offence against the rights of foreign citizens. Investigators are also studying the possible presence of aggravating circumstances relating to profit motive, the special vulnerability situation of the victims, and danger to their lives, health and physical integrity.
Source: La Vanguardia