- They are charged with alleged crimes against the rights of foreign citizens
- One of them, the Civil Guard also accuses him of smuggling, a crime for which he recently detained two crew members whose high-speed boat broke down in Cartagena waters
- Criminal organizations establish maritime highways to carry out the transfer of foreign citizens to the coasts of the Region of Murcia
February 25, 2025. The Civil Guard and the National Police have arrested 16 people so far this year for human trafficking and facilitation of irregular immigration as alleged responsible for patronizing boats of the “patera” type and moving numerous people from the coasts of the African continent to the coast of the Region of Murcia.
The delegate of the Government has valued the joint work of both bodies, whose results are possible by the collaboration of other agencies such as Salvamento Maritimo and Red Cross and the other organizations and associations involved in the reception of immigrants.
“Every time pateras arrive on our coasts, a huge state device is put in place that is perfectly coordinated and has a high humanitarian component, because regardless of the countless police results in the fight against the mafias, we must especially value the thousands of lives that the sacrifice of these public servants and volunteers saves each year,” explained Mariola Guevara.
During the investigations, specialized agents of the National Police and Civil Guard were able to gather the witness statements and indications necessary to fully identify the skippers of the boats that had arrived on our coasts, thus being able to charge them with crimes of human trafficking and illegal association.
The sea crossings that carry out these boat patterns pose a real risk to the life and integrity of people, being carried out in very precarious boats, without any protection or safety measures and facing adverse weather conditions, suffering the added and harmful effects of long exposure to the sun and sea water.
Most detainees face prison sentences of between 4 and 8 years of deprivation of liberty.
Operation against smuggling
One of these 16 detainees has also been charged by the Civil Guard for smuggling, a crime for which the Benemérita recently detained two crew members after the high-speed boat on which they were sailing broke down in the waters of Cartagena.
The action began on February 10, when Salvamento Maritimo towed to the port of Cartagena a pneumatic boat that had suffered a breakdown when it sailed close to the Cartagena coast.
Apparently, the boat had been left in the dock and its two crew members asked for help from other boats that were sailing in the area and whose crew reported the incident to Salvamento Maritimo.
The Civil Guard examined the zodiac, with an engine of more than 200 hp, in which several fuel carafes were located, which made it suspect that it could be the type of boat used by the mafias operating in the Strait to supply other fuel.
The power of the engines turns this boat into a prohibited genre. According to the Law on the Suppression of Smuggling, vessels that are eight or less meters in length and have a power equal to or greater than 150 Kw (201 hp) regardless of the number of engines, are considered, for the purposes of the law, prohibited gender.