Three years in prison for skipper of boat who brought 12 men to Spain and charged 2,000 euros per person

A court in Spain's Alicante has sentenced the skipper of a small boat that was intercepted on 28 November 2024 in waters close to the city's port to three years in prison.

The man, who did not have a certificate to prove that he could captain the boat, has been accused of an offence against the rights of foreign nationals.

According to the court, the skipper set sail from the coast of Algeria with 12 other men on board who had been paid 2,000 euros each to reach Europe. The boat was adrift and after being located by a fishing boat, its occupants were rescued by Salvamento Marítimo.

According to the court the three-day crossing generated "a situation of danger to the life and physical integrity" of the occupants, as it took place in "circumstances of navigation with strong waves, in overcrowded conditions, lacking minimum safety conditions".

Meanwhile, in the Balearic Islands, the Guardia Civil is still searching for the 15 migrants who disappeared last week in the waters of the archipelago.

Sources told Europa Press that although the search is not "constant", given that resources must be adapted to the different needs that arise in other places, they are still trying to find the whereabouts of these people. The government delegate in the Balearic Islands, Alfonso Rodríguez, confirmed that, according to the information he was given on Tuesday night, "at least the intention is to search for and find, with the difficulties of the time that has passed, some of those missing in the open sea".

The government delegate acknowledged that, unfortunately, "it is very complicated to think that the missing migrants could still be alive" given the length of time they have been at sea, so everything points to a shipwreck.