Canaries: smugglers arrested after the death of fourteen migrants
Migrants from Morocco escorted by Spanish police after their arrival on the coast of the Canary Islands in October 2020 (illustrative image).
AP Photo / Javier Bauluz
Text by: RFI Follow
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Spanish police have announced the arrest in the Canaries of fourteen smugglers who transported hundreds of migrants to the Spanish archipelago.
The dangerous route between northwest Africa and the Canaries has resumed since European agreements with Turkey, Libya and Morocco reduced migratory flows in the Mediterranean.
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Thirteen men and a woman aged 19 to 45 of Moroccan, Malian, Gambian, Mauritanian and Guinean nationalities are accused of having facilitated illegal immigration to the Canaries.
These smugglers have been identified by the migrants themselves as the organizers of the crossings or the people responsible for driving the makeshift boats in which they arrived in December and January.
The crossing from the African coasts to the Canaries cost between 2,000 and 2,500 euros.
The smugglers are accused of having transported 237 people including 26 minors without any security measures: without life jackets, food or drink.
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To read also: Migrants: the Canaries facing a sudden increase in arrivals
Six smugglers are involved in crossings in which three passengers died, among them a 9-year-old child "
whose body was thrown overboard in the open sea
", according to the spokesperson for the Spanish police.
In 2020, more than 23,000 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands eight times more than the previous year.
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Immigration
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