The Spanish national police, operating in the Balearic Islands, announced on Friday the arrest of two Algerian smugglers accused of migrant smuggling.
“Two young individuals, of Algerian origin, arrested for steering a pneumatic boat with 28 people on board, including two children aged 3 and 12 and a pregnant woman, have been remanded in custody,” the Spanish national police said in a statement.
The two Algerian smugglers are accused of “aiding irregular immigration with serious risk to life and against the rights of foreign nationals”, details the same source.
The facts date back to July 12, when an inflatable boat from the Algerian coast was detected on the island of Cabrera. Intercepted, its occupants were rescued and taken to the port, where they were handed over to the Provincial Foreigners and Borders Brigade of the National Police.
Among the passengers, 28 in number, there were five women, including one 28 weeks pregnant, and 23 men, including two minors.
Based on the count of Spanish local authorities, 73% of irregular migrants arriving on the Spanish coast are Algerians, a phenomenon that increasingly worries Iberian political and associative circles.
Both the local authorities and several political parties have expressed their concern about this migratory wave, which continues to grow.