Ceuta migration crisis 2026

Ceuta pair found guilty of housing illegal migrants in garage for €900 a month each

Police investigate suspected organised human trafficking network as suspects face deportation and suspended prison terms following Mirasol raids

Two Moroccan migrants sheltered under the bridge leading to the moat in Ceuta, beneath the city walls. (S. García)

Sergio García

02/09/2026 Actualizado a las 16:34h.

At a glance

Investigation and convictions: Two men were convicted following Operation Senen after admitting to operating an illegal human smuggling hub inside a residential garage in Ceuta.
Extortionate fees: Undocumented migrants were charged €900 per month (€30/day) for cramped shelter in communal parking bays while awaiting covert sea transit to mainland Spain costing up to €6,000.
Location and scale: Police located eight migrants inside the Mirasol residential complex on Avenida de los Reyes Católicos, though evidence shows up to 20 people stayed overnight.
Court sentences: One local Ceuta resident received a suspended 15-month prison sentence for offences against foreign nationals and making threats. The second defendant, a Moroccan national who acted as an intermediary, was deported from Spain with a five-year entry ban.
Witness protection: Key evidence was provided by two female victims who received police protection after facing threats and coercion for cooperating with investigators.

Two men have been convicted in Ceuta after admitting to housing undocumented migrants inside a residential garage space for €900 a month per person.

The defendants were sentenced at a summary hearing following an investigation by National Police specialist units UCRIF Central and UCRIF Ceuta.

One suspect, a local Ceuta resident, received a nine-month prison sentence for an offence against foreign nationals and six months for making threats. His 15-month total custodial sentence was suspended for five years on the condition that he commits no further offences.

The second defendant, a Moroccan national who acted as an intermediary, was ordered to be deported from Spain with a five-year re-entry ban.

Neighborhood complaints trigger operation

The police inquiry, codenamed Operation Senen, began after residents of the Mirasol building on Avenida de los Reyes Católicos alerted authorities to individuals gathering in communal parking areas.

Surveillance operations revealed that closed garage bays were being used as temporary shelter for up to 20 migrants awaiting covert passage to mainland Spain.

During raids, officers found eight migrants, including two women, living inside the complex.

Substantial fees and coercion reported

Witness statements taken with official interpreters detailed an extortionate fee structure. One occupant reported paying €900 for a month's shelter while awaiting a promised mainland transit costing €6,000.

Two female witnesses reported paying an initial €350 to an intermediary and a further €450 upon arrival, only to find substandard living conditions inside the communal garage. The court heard that both women were subjected to threats and coercion when they cooperated with police, prompting officers to initiate emergency witness protection measures.

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