Police find 74 migrants crammed into Ceuta home, including two hidden in a fridge
A police operation in the Príncipe neighborhood uncovered an illegal lodging house where migrants paid to sleep on the floor. Some reportedly also worked without pay to reduce their bills. One man has been placed in pretrial detention.
When police officers inspect a refrigerator, they find two young men hiding inside. The appliance is still running. In this house in the Príncipe neighborhood of Ceuta, 72 other migrants are occupying the rooms and adjoining shacks. In all, 74 people are crammed inside, with just one proper bed.
The raid took place on Tuesday, October 20. Officers found an approximately 80 m², two-story home. The occupants slept on blankets, cushions and mattresses laid on the floor. The only bed, with a bedside table, was in the room of the man suspected of running the place, El País reports.
Police counted 54 men, ten women and ten unaccompanied minors. Investigators suspect the house was being used to accommodate people while clandestine crossings to mainland Spain were being arranged.
Up to 20 euros to sleep on the floor
Each night cost 20 euros inside the house and 10 euros in the shacks. According to police estimates, the suspected operator took in between 1,000 and 1,100 euros a day, or around 30,000 euros a month.
Some occupants reportedly received discounts in exchange for doing unpaid masonry work. Minors are among the suspected victims of this exploitation.
Investigators also say a dog was used to intimidate the occupants. One of the children was reportedly bitten. In its October 22 statement, Spain’s Interior Ministry describes an investigation into, among other things, irregular immigration, violations of workers’ rights and the exploitation of minors.
The suspected operator, a Ceuta resident in his thirties, was placed in pretrial detention on Thursday, October 22. The 74 migrants were taken to a temporary reception center.
