Spanish police dismantle two organisations suspected of smuggling migrants from Ceuta into the mainland

According to sources, the detainees used small boats to smuggle migrants from Ceuta, putting their safety at risk and charging 9,000 euros per journey.

During the investigation, the police uncovered an organisation operating between Ceuta and La Línea de la Concepción (Cadiz), which was transporting shallow-draft vessels from the Cadiz coast to the Spanish territory in Africa to pick up undocumented migrants and subsequently transport them to the mainland.

The investigation began after the police found a small boat, described as a "speedboat or rigid-hull craft", stranded on a rocky outcrop near Benzú on the Ceuta coastline.

An inspection suggested that the boat had recently been used for the operation, as it showed signs of damage consistent with high-speed navigation. However, the boat never carried any migrants because it ran aground.

The vessel, however, had not managed to transport any migrants due to the fact that it had run aground.

The organisation used intermediaries to recruit migrants who had arrived in Ceuta after crossing the border by sea and offered to take them from Ceuta to mainland Spain for around 9,000 euros.

The migrants waited in private homes, garages and other temporary locations until the organisation took them to the meeting point with the boat. The group used support vehicles to move them discreetly and avoid areas under police surveillance.

Once the boat arrived from mainland Spain, the organisers put the migrants on board and began the crossing. Other members of the group then received the migrants on the mainland and dispersed them.

The organisation also employed boat pilots, paying them substantial sums. Police said the group selected the pilots for their experience in high-speed navigation and their ability to carry out evasive manoeuvres and evade police checks.

The operation led to the arrest of four people, two in Ceuta and two in La Línea de la Concepción. The police also seized a small speedboat/rigid-hull craft.

In a second investigation, the police uncovered the alleged involvement of a man in a sea crossing on 14 August, during which seven people travelled from Ceuta to the mainland in a small boat that lacked basic safety equipment.

The police intercepted the seven passengers at around 4am at the El Burgo beach in La Línea de la Concepción. They had spent approximately five hours at sea and travelled nearly 40 kilometres from Ceuta.

A witness told investigators that the organiser charged 8,000 euros per person to arrange illegal crossings from Ceuta, giving him an estimated profit of 56,000 euros from the single journey with seven passengers.

The passengers were crammed into a boat measuring five metres long and two metres wide, which was left drifting in the Strait of Gibraltar. They had no life jackets and lacked adequate signalling and rescue equipment. Some of the migrants could swim only poorly or could not swim at all.

The crossing took place entirely at night. The passengers spent around five hours at sea and covered nearly 40 kilometres through open water between Ceuta and the mainland.

Witnesses said thick fog developed during the crossing, making navigation difficult and significantly reducing the chances of other vessels locating the boat in an emergency. The weather conditions, the state of the boat and the lack of safety equipment considerably increased the danger. The passengers also had to endure the cold from their wet clothes, while water and waves entered the boat.

The authorities remanded the suspect in custody on suspicion of an offence against the rights of foreign nationals. Investigators are also examining possible aggravating circumstances linked to financial gain, the victims' particular vulnerability and the danger posed to their lives, health and physical safety.

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