Human Trafficking

The Spanish Civil Guard dismantles a criminal organization dedicated to trafficking in persons from Algeria to Spain

The network, based in the town of Fuente Álamo (Murcia), was specialized in the introduction of people through the migration route of Oran

Three people have been arrested for alleged crimes against foreign citizens and belonging to a criminal group

This criminal organization would form a stable structure that would have members both in origin (North Africa) and in destination (Spain), coordinated with each other and with perfectly defined roles.

The Civil Guard of Almería, within the framework of the so-called “LIMESTONE” operation, has dismantled in Almería a criminal organization trafficking people from Algeria to Spain. Three people have been arrested for alleged crimes against foreign citizens and belonging to a criminal group.

The investigation began at the end of July 2020, upon learning that a person living in Fuente Álamo (Murcia) is part of a network with a stable structure in North African countries and Spain.

This criminal network had specialized in the introduction of people from North Africa bound for the eastern part of Spain.

For this, members of the network operated on the border between the North African countries, facilitating the passage of people who were transferred and housed in homes located in Oran (Algeria), where they remained until they could board a boat destined for the coast. Almeria.

Thus, said immigration network had a portfolio of skippers of “patera taxi” type boats with which the coordinated entry from different parts of the eastern Almería was planned.

The modus operandi used consisted of the arrival of boats, distributed in different batches and coordinated both in time slots and in places of disembarkation, in order to hinder the action of the Civil Guard at the time of the arrival of the immigrants.

In the development of the investigation, the Civil Guard agents are aware that on September 16 an arrival of boats with people from Oran (Algeria) is planned to arrive at the eastern coast of Almeria.

By the Civil Guard, a police device was established that culminated in the arrest of three people residing in the Murcian town of Fuente Álamo, who had moved to the province of Almería and were distributed in different parts of the Levantine coast, with the purpose of receiving immigrants who arrived in boats during the early hours of September 16.

The investigations carried out within the framework of the LIMESTONE operation have been carried out through the direction of the head of the Investigative Court number 4 of Vera (Almería), carrying out constant judicial control, and with the knowledge of the Delegate Prosecutor of Immigration of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Provincial Court of Almería.

The proceedings instructed by the Civil Guard, together with the detainees, were handed over to the Investigating Court acting as guard of the Vera (Almería).

The investigation remains open in order to discover the involvement of other people.