A migrant boat, Mallorca

Migrant smuggling gangs organise people with nautical knowledge. | Archive

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma28/12/2020 15:29
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Two Algerian men, aged 20 and 29, were arrested by the National Police on Saturday and charged with facilitating illegal immigration.

Described as the "skippers" of a migrant boat, they and sixteen others arrived in Mallorca on December 14. A police investigation was opened and this concluded that two of the people on board were part of a gang dedicated to the smuggling of migrants and were acting as skippers because of their nautical knowledge.

The police have established that the gang is paid the equivalent of between 1,500 and 2,000 euros by each migrant wanting to be taken to Europe. Once a boat is arranged, someone is placed in charge of skippering it.

This particular case is similar to one investigated in Ibiza following the arrival of a migrant boat in Formentera. Two arrests were made on that occasion.