Ceuta migrant smuggling rings dismantled by Spanish police

Spanish National Police have dismantled two criminal organizations involved in the illegal smuggling of migrants from the North African enclave of Ceuta to mainland Spain. The networks reportedly charged individuals up to 9,000 euros for transport via small vessels.

In one operation, four individuals were arrested—two in Ceuta and two in La Línea de la Concepción (Cádiz province)—on charges of criminal association and facilitating irregular immigration. A second operation resulted in the arrest of a fifth man.

Investigators uncovered the network after discovering a damaged speedboat grounded on the coast of Benzú, Ceuta. The smuggling method involved hiding migrants in houses and garages before using support vehicles to transport them to boarding points to avoid police surveillance. The vessels would travel from the coast of Cádiz to Ceuta, before returning to the Iberian Peninsula.