Spain: Three arrested for the deaths of five migrants

Spanish authorities arrested three people in connection to the deaths of five migrants who were thrown into the sea from a boat in November 2023, the Spanish national police announced in a press release on Monday (March 18).

Police conducted raids in three residences in Granada, Algeciras, and San Roque (southern Spain) resulting in the apprehension of the two men and one woman. The charges against the suspects include homicide, belonging to a criminal organization, crimes against the rights of foreign citizens, injuries, and smuggling.

According to a joint operation involving the Spanish National Police, the Civil Guard, and EUROPOL, the incident occurred on November 29, 2023, off the coast of Cádiz, southern Spain and involved a speedboat carrying at least 37 people from Morocco.

Also read: Four migrants drown near Cadiz after being forced off speedboat

The three suspects are believed to have forced the migrants to jump from the speedboat as they were approaching the Spanish coast and threatened them with machetes. Many of the migrants did not know how to swim and had to contend with the strong sea currents.

Four bodies were initially recovered, with the fifth found days later. The deceased were identified through DNA obtained from relatives in Morocco with the assistance of an NGO.

Reports indicate that at least 37 migrants were aboard the boat, each paying between €3,000 and €12,000 for the journey from Kenitra, Morocco, to Cádiz, Spain. The investigation revealed the horrific conditions the migrants endured, including being crammed onto the boat and threatened with violence if they didn’t comply with the smugglers’ demands.

Also read: Europol arrests 30 for smuggling migrants on yachts

Caught on video

Video taken by a man who works in the area showed many of the other migrants being forced out of the vessel closer to land, before the smugglers sped off. The video was taken by a man who works in the area. The manager of a nearby windsurfing school, together with his students, reportedly intervened and rescued several people.

Record arrivals

Tens of thousands of people from sub-Saharan countries try to reach Spain each year in boats that depart from countries in northwest Africa like Morocco.

Last year, an estimated 53,000 people arrived irregularly in Spain making it the the second-top destination in terms of migrant arrivals across the Mediterranean. The other two countries that surpassed Spain were Italy and Greece whose coastal areas are at the front lines of the European Union. Some 1,142 reportedly perished during the year trying to reach its coasts.

Read more: Nearly 250 migrants arrive on Canary Islands in one day