Illegal Migration: 4 Algerian smugglers nabbed in Spain

Four Algerian smugglers of people were arrested Tuesday in Spain by local police following the dismantling of a criminal network specialized in human trafficking.

This criminal network was active in Murcia. It charges illegal migrants over € 5,000 for their transfer to Spain through high-speed boats in dangerous conditions, without minimum security measures, says a press release issued by the Spanish police.

During the operation, law enforcement agents seized a 6-meter-long boat used in human trafficking trade and a 150 HP engine. Investigation showed that the busted network is also involved in drug trafficking.

The arrest of these Algerian smugglers comes few days after Morocco, Spain and the European Union agreed to renew their partnership in order to work together to tackle human smuggling networks, in particular following the emergence of new, extremely violent, methods adopted by such criminal networks.

In the 1st half of 2022, Morocco prevented over 26,000 illegal migrants from crossing the border into Spain and dismantled around a hundred criminal trafficking networks.