Spanish Police Arrest 16 in Migrant Smuggling Operation off Almeria Coast

The judicial authorities have ordered the provisional detention of the 16 people arrested until the end of July. The Civil Guard arrested two of them on Wednesday after intercepting their boat, a patera, with which they had already transported several Moroccans to the Almeria coast. Of Moroccan origin, they were made available to the Immigration Unit of the National Police, according to police sources cited by Europa Press.

To read: Spanish Police Bust Migrant Smuggling Ring in Canary Islands, Seize 50kg of Hashish

During the month of July, three men of Algerian origin were also arrested. They are accused of having transported 10 to 22 people from the Algerian coasts to Almeria on two boats. A month earlier, five other people had been arrested, the same source informs.

These dangerous crossings in which some travelers have even died, are paid between 2,000 and 5,000 euros. In addition to usually tripling the boat’s capacity, the organizers of these clandestine trips do not provide life jackets for the occupants, which increases the risk during the crossing.