Agents of the National Police, with the collaboration of Europol, have dismantled a criminal network operating in the Strait of Gibraltar Gibraltar and was allegedly involved in the trafficking of people and narcotic substances by means of the so-called ‘mixed loads’ method.
Based in the autonomous city of Ceuta and in the town of Algeciras (Cádiz), the criminal organization used fiberglass boats, which were used for the trafficking of people and narcotics often piloted by minors to transport migrants and drugs from Morocco to Spain.
Each migrant could pay 14,600 euros if they accessed the pack completewhich included all travel and stays between the African country and Spain or other European countries, as reported by the National Police.
One of the leaders of the group operated from Ibiza
The dismantled criminal organization had a hierarchical structure defined in three levels. At the top were two individuals who exercised strategic and financial control of the operations, one operating from Ibiza and another operating from Ceuta. They were in charge of coordinating the routes, establishing contacts on both sides of the border and managing the payments demanded from the migrants. Both have been arrested and are in pre-trial detention.
The members of the organization are considered responsible for the clandestine entry of at least 200 Moroccan migrants in Spain. From human trafficking alone, they would have made more than two and a half million euros in profits.
In the first phase, the network operated from Morocco, where they hosted the migrants in the town of Castillejos. From here, the initial passage of the migrants across the sea was organized, either by means of precarious boats or even by swimming, in extremely dangerous conditionsusing underwater scooters to facilitate crossing the Tarajal border undetected.
Security Floors
Once they managed to cross the maritime border from Morocco, the migrants were clandestinely transported in vehicles to apartments in Ceutawhere they were held against their will until they paid the full amount agreed for the trip.
During this period, many of them remained in precarious conditions and under constant threats. They were released only when the weather conditions allowed them to make the sea crossing to the coast of Algeciras. Taking advantage of these journeys, the organization increased its economic benefit by simultaneously transporting large backpacks containing narcotic substances.
The special dangerousness of the crossings was the use of fiber boats piloted by inexperienced people, including minors selected and trained by the network itself. These boats lacked life jackets, navigation devices or any safety measures and often operated in adverse weather conditions.
In many cases, the number of people transported far exceeded the capacity of the boats. This circumstance, together with the increased weight of the drugs loaded, multiplied the risk of shipwreck.
In the final phase of the operation, in which more than a hundred agents have participated, the following have been carried out one inspection and six house searches in Ibiza, Algeciras and Ceuta. The total amount of the seized items is 22 kilos of hashish, 10,800 tablets of clonazepam, 47,000 euros in cash, two boats, five vehicles, various pieces of jewelry, bottles of gasoline and several bladed weapons.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.