The court of Palma de Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, sentenced on Friday to two years in prison two Algerian smugglers accused of transporting illegal Algerian migrants to the Spanish coast.
The two individuals, members of a human trafficking network, were accused of “crimes against the rights of foreign citizens and endangering the lives of several people”, underlines the judgment of the court.
They had, among other things, transported, illegally, about fifteen Algerians aboard a pneumatic boat intercepted last October by the rescue services on the coast of Palma. The court noted that the boat did not meet the conditions to safeguard the physical integrity of the occupants.
The Spanish authorities in the regions of Murcia, Almeria and the Balearic Islands have, in recent months, reinforced security measures along the coasts to deal with the arrival of boats from Algeria and to fight against traffickers of ‘Human being.
According to the count of the Spanish local authorities, 73% of the irregular migrants arriving on the Spanish coasts are Algerians, a phenomenon which worries more and more the political circles and associative Iberians.
Both the local authorities and several political parties have expressed their concern about this migratory wave, which continues to grow.