Police dismantles human trafficking ring facilitating irregular migration from Morocco to Melilla

The Spanish National Police have dismantled a criminal organization dedicated to irregular migration between Morocco and Melilla. 

This group, composed of an undisclosed number of individuals on both Spanish and Moroccan soil, charged migrants between €9,000 and €11,000 per person to be transported from Morocco to the Spanish city.

In Melilla, five individuals of Spanish nationality with Moroccan origins have been arrested.

A spokesperson from the Superior Police Headquarters stated on Monday that officers from their Unit Against Illegal Immigration Networks and Document Fraud (UCRIF) arrested these five members in the Spanish city. 

The members are accused of belonging to “a criminal network based between Melilla and Morocco, dedicated to introducing citizens of that nationality aboard recreational boats owned by Spaniards.”

The operation was made possible through the control and monitoring carried out by UCRIF on boats susceptible to being used for human trafficking to Melilla. This led to an investigation into “this criminal group, their activities, members, and resources” as their movements were analyzed.

During the course of the investigation, agents were able to identify several members of the network in Melilla and their connection to more than one boat that could be used for these purposes.

At the end of April this year, they detected one of the mentioned boats arriving on the Melilla coast, carrying seven Moroccan migrants in irregular administrative situations. 

UCRIF decided to carry out a police operation and detain the suspects, with the last arrest taking place in early September, effectively dismantling the Melilla faction of the organization.

Based on the testimonies of several victims, the police unit against illegal immigration networks and document fraud determined that the migrants were recruited in Morocco by members of the organization in that country. 

They paid a total amount of between €9,000 and €11,000 to be transported by vehicle from their places of origin to a beach on the Moroccan coast, and from there, by boat to Melilla.

This police investigation has led to the corresponding criminal case being handled by the Melilla Court of Investigation, with both the detainees and the boats used placed at their disposal.