Arrival of small boats from Algeria in Spanish waters continues

Spanish security forces are carrying out surveillance to prevent illegal migration from Algeria to the Spanish coast.

The authorities point out that illegal migrants put their lives at risk along this route by travelling in very unsafe boats. 

In the last few hours, members of the Spanish National Police arrested 19 Algerian nationals for an alleged crime of illegal smuggling of migrants for allegedly directing a boat with numerous people from the coast of Algeria to the coast of Murcia, Spain. 

During the investigation, agents of the National Police have collected witness statements and evidence necessary to fully identify the skippers of the boats that had reached the coast of Murcia, being able to charge them with an alleged crime against the rights of foreign citizens.

The 19 detainees were brought before the courts and were immediately remanded in custody without bail, pending the holding of the corresponding oral trial. The suspects face prison sentences ranging from 4 to 8 years.

The police continue to point out that clandestine sea crossings through these channels are particularly dangerous due to the poor conditions of the boats used and the harsh weather conditions suffered by the migrants, with the inherent dangers of a crossing at sea due to waves and other problems and the long exposure to the sun. 

The Algeria-Spain migratory route is the deadliest on the way to the Iberian Peninsula, and the Spanish police are always on the lookout for expeditions set up along this route by criminal gangs involved in illegal human trafficking in order to intercept them, as in the case of the last operation in which 19 people were arrested. 

The route from Algeria to the coasts of Almeria, Murcia, the Balearic Islands and Alicante has left nearly 200 people dead in the last half year.

The route from the Canary Islands remains the deadliest, with thousands of deaths in recent months. In terms of fatalities, the Algerian route is in second place, followed by the Alboran route and then the Strait of Gibraltar, with illegal migrants entering through Ceuta and Melilla.

The Algerian route continues to be a concern for Spanish security forces, as over the last five years more than 2,000 people have died on an illegal migratory journey via this route.