French-Spanish Authorities Bust Major Migrant Trafficking Ring Led by Moroccan National

Europol has struck a major blow. Twenty-nine people from a vast criminal network were arrested last weekend in France and Spain, according to a statement from the European police. The same source indicates that three arrests were made on the French side of the border.

Also, 14 searches were carried out in France, Andalusia and Catalonia during this operation, specifies France bleu Roussillon. The operation proved fruitful. In total, 33,000 euros and more than 200 kilos of cannabis were seized.

The arrest in France of a Spaniard who was driving a bus with 22 undocumented migrants on board, including six minors, is the trigger for this investigation. Subsequently, the investigators discovered that this network was led by a Moroccan.

According to their modus operandi, the traffickers encouraged minors from Spanish protection centers to escape and embark on a journey across Western Europe. They also recruited recruiters who in turn targeted irregular migrants based on their own nationality (Algeria, Morocco, Syria or Mali).

The Port of Almeria, in Andalusia, was the starting point. The migrants boarded buses also used to smuggle cannabis, tobacco and animals hidden in hiding places. When they reached La Junquera, the last Spanish town before France, the migrants were unloaded and separated into small groups.

This strategy allowed them to cross the border by taxi, in order to deceive the vigilance of the French police. Once at the first service station in the Pyrénées-Orientales, they got back on the bus, reports France bleu Roussillon.