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Rabat – Spanish national police have dismantled two connected migrant-smuggling networks dedicated to trafficking migrants between Morocco and the Canary Islands.
The gangs are allegedly responsible for the arrival of six boats carrying around 204 Moroccan migrants off the shores of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura Islands.
Police shared footage of the bust of the two migrant smuggling gangs on Twitter. According to the police, the network “charged each migrant €3,000 [MAD 31,853], for which profits are estimated at €600,000 [MAD 6.3 million].”
According to local news outlets, the trafficking networks had been initially requesting €4,000 (MAD 42,404) per person, but they lowered the price to €3,000 (MAD 31,853) or even €2,500 (MAD 26,502) when the boats were not at full capacity.
The police bust led to the arrest of eight people; four in Las Palmas, two in Murcia, one in Cadiz, and one in Vizcaya.
Following several inquiries and investigations, police carried out three entries and searches at the houses of the networks’ leaders, with the participation of around 100 police agents.
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Police were able to seize several data storage devices and receipts relating to the money transactions carried out by migrants to take the boat journey to the Canary Islands.
The eight gang members arrested were handed over to the judicial authorities as suspects for crimes against foreign nationals, participation in a criminal organization, and falsifying documents.
The Canary Islands, which are 100 kilometers west of Moroccan coasts, have become a hotspot for Moroccan and Sub-Saharan migrants trying to reach Europe.
Since 2017, Moroccan security services have prevented more than 14,000 irregular migration attempts to Spain and dismantled around 5,000 irregular migration networks.
