National Police investigators arrested a many in Alicante and six others in Almería for allegedly organising a criminal network that offered boats to human traffickers in Algeria. The organization’s profit is anticipated to exceed €560,000.
With these arrests, the police emphasise that this organisation, which was reportedly responsible for providing boats, engines, and fuel, has been disbanded.
According to the announcement, three of the seven inmates have been remanded into detention. The operation featured three semi-rigid boats that allegedly carried more than 80 migrants into Spain in four separate occasions.
The probe started in July 2024. They then identified two land-transported vessels with technological characteristics similar to those utilised by criminal organisations specialising in sea-based human trafficking.
They immediately established an operation that enabled them to detect the movement of up to six semi-rigid boats via the same land route. Following this thread, they confirmed that three of the boats were utilised to transport passengers to Spain.
The disbanded criminal organisation specialised in supplying semi-rigid boats to other criminal groups. To facilitate sea travel, they used high-powered engines obtained from numerous foreign corporations. The businesses took them to the province of Almería.
After making contact with one of the criminal networks operating in the Alboran Sea, they decided on a fee to pay. They subsequently turned over the vessel to the direct culprits of the migration occurrences.
The vessels were hidden in premises controlled by the organisation between their arrival in Almería and delivery to the groups.
Here’s how they were organised
Investigators were able to show that the criminal network was precisely structured, with clearly defined duties for its members.
Thus, the network included intermediaries who acted as liaisons with Algerian criminal organisations operating in the Alboran Sea, transporters who transported the vessels by land, pilots who tested them before they were delivered, security guards who intervened during transport and concealment, and a top leader who coordinated everything.
In addition to the three boats described above, the police seized two vehicles, multiple mobile devices, and a wealth of investigation-related documentation.
The seven people arrested are accused of belonging to a criminal organisation, breaching the rights of foreign citizens, smuggling, document falsification, and vehicle theft.
Author: Derek Appleton
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