ARCHIVED - Three members of illegal migrant transport mafia arrested in Region of Murcia
The Spanish authorities fight a relentless battle against illegal migration and intercept boats coming from Africa on a regular basis.
Three men have been remanded in custody for allegedly forming part of a criminal group that organises and operates illegal migrant boats (‘pateras’) bringing people from Africa to the Murcia region.
The arrestees, aged 22, 24 and 32, were arrested by the National Police for having captained three boats carrying irregular migrants.
In all three cases, those charged had pretended that they themselves were immigrants and had mingled with the migrants after landing to avoid detection.
This is normal practice, and once freed by immigration, the drivers of the boats will return to their country of origin for another run.
It is also normal for the mafias to threaten the passengers against informing the police which one of their number was the driver of the boat.
The crossings can last more than 16 hours, with the craft often in poor condition and carrying no lifejackets, flares or even first aid kits. Despite the risks, migrants can pay up to 5,000 euros for places on the boats and are not even provided with a lifejacket, which they have to supply themselves.
Those travelling are not refugees, but are economic migrants, mainly from Algeria and Morocco.
An operation to identify those working within the criminal mafias which have increased the number of illegal migrants reaching the Murcian coast within the last year, brings the number of people arrested by the Provincial Foreigners and Borders Brigade to 55, the police reported.