Rabat – Spanish National Police has dismantled a network smuggling Moroccan migrants from Ceuta to Algeciras using stolen recreational boats.
The operation apprehended 12 people in Algeciras, with five suspects held in preventive detention by order of the city’s court.
Police also confiscated the six stolen boats used in the smuggling operations.
Spanish media reports cited security sources who revealed the investigation began last July after a boat carrying two unaccompanied Moroccan minors arrived at Getares beach in Algeciras.
Police discovered the boat had been stolen days earlier from a regional recreational marina.
Upon further investigation, authorities uncovered a larger pattern of boat thefts from southern Spanish ports. The vessels were later used by smugglers to transport migrants from Ceuta to mainland Spain before abandoning them.
The network relied on marina employees to identify suitable boats for theft and avoid security surveillance.
Investigations revealed the network used Moroccan minors as boat captains, exploiting their limited legal liability if caught. These journeys happened under extremely dangerous conditions, with boats overloaded and lacking adequate safety measures – putting migrants’ lives at risk.
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Police estimate the network successfully smuggled 40 Moroccan migrants to Spain, charging between €4,000 and €4,500 per trip, generating approximately €180,000 in profits.
Beyond human smuggling, the network also had a robust process to create forged documents, showing a high level of organization and coordination.
This security operation is part of joint efforts between Morocco and Spain to stop the flow of illegal migration to the European country.
Morocco’s role in migration control has been commendable. The country is invested in curbing irregular migrant flows through Ceuta and Melilla in particular, preventing 14,648 illegal migrants from entering the enclaves in August 2024 alone.
The North African country succeeded in preventing 48,963 irregular migration attempts and dismantled 210 criminal networks involved in human trafficking by November 2024.
