Spanish police dismantled an Algerian network of illegal migration and arrested nine people who were behind the three boats that got intercepted near Almeria (southern Spain) in mid-December 2023, carrying nearly 50 irregular migrants, including minors, the Spanish police said on Friday.
The migrants were allegedly threatened with machetes and forced to leap into the sea when caught by the police.
Members of this criminal network were employing boats with no safety gear, using only poorly-powered engines to carry out their crimes, a fact that put the lives of the people on board at risk.
The smuggling of migrants from Algeria to Spain has grown recently into an “industry” worth millions of euros. According to Spanish officials, Algerians account for 73% of all irregular migrants arriving on Spanish shores.
A number of officials and political parties, particularly in the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, Murcia and Almeria, are alarmed by the huge increase of Algerian irregular migrants.
Balearic Islands’ Chief Public Prosecutor, Julio Cano, recently stated that his top focus was combating Algerian organized crime and human trafficking networks, which are the archipelago’s most pressing issue.