- EDITIONS:
Spanish News Today
Murcia Today
Alicante Today
PROPERTY SEARCH
PROPERTY SEARCH
ARCHIVED - Police dismantle Albanian people-smuggling gang taking migrants to UK via Spain
Seven smugglers have been arrested and will face trial in Spain
In a complicated cross-border operation, the Spanish and UK authorities have made several arrests and succeeded in dismantling an Albanian people-smuggling gang which specialised in trafficking migrants to Britain via Spain. Early last week, seven members of the criminal network were detained and around 50 illegal arrivals have been identified, although this number could actually be much higher.
Officials have revealed that the smugglers transported Albanian citizens to the UK via Bilbao and Santander in northern Spain, loading them onto lorries and charging between 3,000 and 15,000 euros for the ‘service’. They would then travel on ferries to Portsmouth, Southampton and Liverpool.
Many migrants were also recruited by the gang from camps dotted around the Spanish ports.
The National Crime Agency ‘s (NCA) Steve Reynolds said investigating officers were “faced with a crime group who were prepared to smuggle migrants in lorries over one of the longer ferry and freight crossings into the UK. The dangers of that are self-evident.”
He added, “The NCA and the Guardia Civil worked together for more than a year to dismantle their operation and prevent further lives being put at risk.”
Two arrests were made in Madrid with a further five in the Basque country; among these, officers believe, are two of the gang’s ring leaders. They will now face trial for people smuggling in Spain.
In the course of the raids carried out on properties associated with the gangs, a number of mobile phones and computers were seized, along with bank cards, identity papers and multiple passports.
Also of interest: Beachgoers in Mazarrón help police intercept three human traffickers
Image: Archive
staff.inc.and
Read more articles about Illegal Migration
