The Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is seeking a six-year prison sentence for each of the two Senegalese captains of a canoe carrying 38 migrants aboard —34 adults and four minors— that was rescued in the waters of Canary Islands.
The prosecution document, reported by Europa Press, states that the vessel departed from the coast of Senegal and after five days of travel, its engine stopped, leading to the occupants being rescued by a Maritime Rescue patrol.
The Prosecutor’s Office points out that the accused, who are in pretrial detention, organized the journey in collusion with others, charging the travellers between 300,000 and one million African francs, all of them from sub-Saharan origin.
Once onboard, they assumed the roles of directing and captaining the journey, determining the passengers’ locations on the vessel, giving orders and behaviour instructions, distributing food and drinks, and warning that no testimony against them could be given once in Spain.
The canoe was equipped with two motors, one of them auxiliary, and lacked safety measures such as fuel storage, life jackets for passengers, nautical communication means, position lights, or radar deflectors.
There was also limited space for a journey with 38 people, as they were arranged on transverse shelves, posing the risk of capsizing due to interior movement, as well as the risk of collision and boarding due to the lack of lighting in a high maritime traffic area of vessels.
Furthermore, there was insufficient food and drink for a journey lasting between five and six days on average.
The Prosecution believes that the actions constitute a crime against the rights of foreign citizens.
[–>
The trial is scheduled for next Wednesday at the Provincial Court starting at 09:30.
