The Guardia Civil has dismantled in Alicante a conspiracy of citizens of Algerian origin who operated from the coast of Almería with a fleet of boat taxis to which they gave a dual function, as the armed institute announced this Saturday in a press release. . Initially, the network sent shipments of methamphetamine pills to the North African country and, on the return journey, transported people who had paid between 2,000 and 4,000 euros to enter Spain irregularly via the Mediterranean. The operation, which is still ongoing, has so far resulted in seven arrests and the seizure of 68 kilos of methamphetamine pills, which if sold on the street would have been worth around 3 million euros. Following the indictment, the Investigative Court 3 of Orihuela (Alicante) ordered the detention of six of those arrested and released the seventh.
The so-called Operation Emissary began in January after the Guardia Civil discovered an Algerian citizen whose activities suggested he was allegedly running both drug and human trafficking between Spain and North Africa. The initial research gathered revealed that this individual was allegedly the person most responsible for the network, as he was responsible for both funding the logistics required to run the double rides and for recruiting the people who would run the rides should carry out.
The grounding of a boat in March on a beach near Pilar de la Horadada, in the far south of Alicante province, gave new impetus to the investigation, sources close to them told EL PAÍS. From that moment on, those responsible for the investigation discovered the movement in both directions, between the coasts of Almeria and Algeria, of boats known in police jargon as “rubbers”, semi-rigid inflatable boats with outboard engines commonly used in drug trafficking. .
The agents of the Information Group of the Alicante Command, together with the Information Headquarters (UCE 3), discovered that on the property these boats were being used with engines of 150 or 200 HP (worth 30,000 to 40,000 euros each) and of a size suitable for it accommodates a dozen people for their rides, each lasting about five hours. Working under the leader’s orders, a group of people were responsible for supplying the bosses with fuel and providing the necessary logistics to preserve and hide the caches, in addition to being responsible for arranging the arrival of the immigrants to their destinations to make it easier for you to reach your chosen destinations.
The conspiracy also allegedly had a network of intermediaries in Algeria who were responsible for recruiting immigrants who wanted to go to Europe and charging them the agreed price, which was between 2,000 and 4,000 euros. For the latter, they used the so-called hawala, an old financial system used by migrants that allows international payments without having to physically transfer the money from one jurisdiction to another, and which is also used by criminal organizations due to the difficulties in existence recognized.
The final blow to the criminal network came on October 12, after one of the taxi boats broke down in the waters near Roquetas de Mar (Almería). The boat was allegedly on its way to Algeria with a shipment of 48 kilos of methamphetamines. While attempting to return to shore, the boat was intercepted by a Guardia Civil naval unit, whose agents arrested the captain. Four other people who helped him return to the coast were also arrested. Following these arrests, the Guardia Civil identified the remaining suspected members of the group and arrested them on November 21. They were all residents of Alicante, whose province is home to more than 15,000 Algerians, the largest resident colony in Spain.
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Six of the detainees were imprisoned for crimes of criminal organization, violating the rights of foreign citizens, faking a crime, public health, property and reception. During the operation, five searches were carried out – four in houses and another in an industrial warehouse where stolen vehicles were allegedly stored – during which another 20 kilos of pills, two semi-rigid boats, two vehicles, 8,780 euros in cash and a pistol were found confiscated. Detonators and several cell phones, as the Civil Guard detailed in its press release on Saturday.