By region, 75 individuals were apprehended in Las Palmas and 35 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, January 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The National Police in the Canary Islands detained a total of 110 illicit boat operators in 2024 for crimes associated with facilitating illegal immigration, which resulted in the entry of 1,865 immigrants into the archipelago, as indicated by the police force in a statement released on Saturday.
Consequently, as a part of the police operations, 75 individuals were arrested in the province of Las Palmas and 35 in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife during the year 2024, due to their connections with the criminal organisations responsible for orchestrating these maritime transfers via one of the most perilous routes globally, the Atlantic.
The actions of those detained allegedly involved commanding and managing the voyage on the vessels (boats, inflatables, or cayucos), overseeing associated payments, or being responsible for the transfers and accommodation of the migrants until their boarding, being charged with promoting illegal immigration, belonging to a criminal enterprise, and in certain instances, as perpetrators of reckless or intentional homicide.
Of particular importance, the National Police emphasises that there were arrests made of those accountable for various vessels in which some individuals died, usually due to the dire conditions under which these transfers were conducted.
CAYUCOS ARRIVED ON THE ISLANDS
The National Police cites the example of a canoe that arrived from Nouakchott (Mauritania) on February 5, 2024, containing 104 individuals. Six individuals were arrested for crimes related to facilitating illegal immigration and for the responsibility of the deaths of two occupants of the cayuco.
On March 12, 2024, they continued, after 14 days at sea, another canoe from Mauritania was rescued. The severe conditions during the journey were evident, partly due to a lack of drinking water since the sixth day at sea.
In this case, investigators from the Las Palmas Provincial Immigration and Border Brigade confirmed the deaths of at least 19 individuals, with two found inside the boat; the remaining bodies had been discarded into the sea. Three individuals were taken into custody as members of the criminal group responsible for the cayuco.
In May, fatalities were also reported in two of the canoes arriving from Senegalese shores, which led to the identification and arrest of leaders and members of the criminal enterprise. On the boat rescued on May 13, carrying 172 individuals, the death of three individuals was verified.
Two of the bodies, belonging to two women, were discarded into the sea, highlighting the tragic situation where one was travelling with her young son who managed to reach the Canary coast alive. Three individuals were arrested for these events. In the second boat, a body was discovered, leading to the arrest of the captain.
On June 20, 2024, a rescue operation by a cruise ship took place approximately 361 nautical miles southwest of El Hierro, managing to rescue 71 people, recover three bodies from the canoe, and where, due to severe malnutrition, one of those rescued died on board the cruise ship.
In August, the Provincial Immigration and Border Brigade of the National Police apprehended four members of the cayuco that departed Dakar, carrying a total of 174 immigrants, resulting in the deaths of three individuals. A fifth individual, the chief perpetrator, managed to flee the Canary Islands, but was arrested in the town of Vigo thanks to coordination between various units of the National Police.
DISMANTLING OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION NETWORKS
The primary objective pursued by the National Police units in the fight against illegal immigration networks is to dismantle them, necessitating the organisation of international cooperation, both judicial and police-related.
For this reason, the National Police highlights the various international arrest warrants currently in effect in Mauritania and Morocco, issued as a result of investigations carried out by the Provincial Immigration and Border Brigade of Las Palmas.
Additionally, four members residing in Spain, who held senior and managerial roles in different criminal organisations, have been arrested in 2024 for their direct involvement in orchestrating the departure of the vessels and managing logistical operations along the west African coast.
Among these roles, the collection and management of the payments that immigrants were required to make for securing a place stand out, which could vary between amounts close to 1,000 euros and approximately 3,000 euros, depending on the departure location of the boats and the nationalities involved.
The financial amount could even soar to 16,000 euros for routes originating from the Asian continent, which would include initial air transfers.
