Agents of the National Police, in coordination with EUROPOL and the collaboration of German and Norwegian authorities, have dismantled an organization that introduced migrants from Algeria and offered a “VIP service” for landing with high-end cars.
The operation, which has resulted in 15 arrests, 14 of them in the province of Almería and another in Malaga, was directed from Libya and Spain and had cells in Sudan, Liberia and Almería. The migrants arrived on Spanish coasts aboard high-speed boats that left from Algeria.
The agents have verified the carrying out of at least 13 trafficking operations in which the organization would have transferred more than 200 migrants. The cost of the journey ranged between 7,000 and 20,000 euros per person.
One of the peculiarities of this network is that it offered a VIP service, whose prices ranged between 7,000 and 20,000 euros depending on the origin and destination, to those who requested it and which included landing at a point on the coast different from the rest. of migrants, from where they were extracted in high-end vehicles amid strong security measures.
The dismantled organization had two management centers based in Libya and Spain. From the North African country they managed the recruitment of Syrian citizens in their country of origin and their transfer to Libya, passing through Sudan or Lebanon and providing them with the necessary documentation for that trip.
Once in Libya, they remained housed in the organization’s security apartments until they were transferred to Algeria, where they were again sheltered until the moment they left for the peninsula.
The branch established in Spain specialized in the transfer of migrants in fast boats from Algeria, accommodation in our country and their subsequent transfer. Based on agreements reached with Algerian traffickers, the boats were also chartered with migrants of that nationality who wanted to reach our country.
Likewise, the organization deployed counter-surveillance measures to detect police presence, organized surveillance patrols, and had high-cylinder vehicles to extract migrants. They also had farms and warehouses with video surveillance to hide the boats.
Under the direction of the Investigating Court number one of Almería and the impulse of the delegated prosecutors for immigration matters, the investigation has concluded with the identification and location of all the members, 13 addresses have been registered in Almería and Málaga and seized 522,710 euros and 1,200 dollars in cash, a pistol, two high-speed boats, seven vehicles as well as two satellites, computers and 200 grams of hashish.
