The suspected Syrian ringleader of a people smuggling gang which offered “VIP services” to migrants travelling from Africa to Europe has been apprehended in Spain.
The gang operated from Libya to Spain and had cells in Sudan, Liberia and Algeria, It also ran dedicated drugs, arms and money laundering trafficking.
It made up to €4m smuggling over 200 people to Spanish coasts aboard high-speed boats that left from Algeria.
The network charged up to €20,000 for a “VIP service” which included disembarking at a different point on the coast from other migrants. From there they were extracted in high-end vehicles amid strong security measures.
“The organisation deployed significant security and counter-surveillance measures to ensure the success of its operations,” Spanish Police said.
“On landing beaches, they established devices to detect police presence, organised surveillance patrols, had high-powered vehicles to extract migrants, and had farms and ships with video surveillance to hide the boats.”
The network, which was directed from Libya and Spain, had cells in Sudan, Liberia and Almería, and was also thought to be engaged in drug, arms and money laundering trafficking.
The migrants were brought from Algeria by high-speed boats piloted by individuals who carried firearms.
“The investigation revealed that the criminal network, possibly active since 2017, was involved in a wide range of illegal activities, including migrant smuggling and the trafficking of drugs and firearms,” Europol said.
“Well established in several EU and Middle Eastern countries, the criminal network used an unusually long and expensive route to smuggle irregular migrants from Syria into the EU,” it said. “From Libya, they were taken to Algeria, before the journey into Europe via the Mediterranean.
“The criminal network facilitated the entire logistics of the journey, including transport, paperwork in some countries, flight tickets and accommodation along the route. The VIP service included special extras such as a transfer from the arrival point on the Spanish mainland as well as accommodation in Spain.”
The dismantled organisation had two management centres based in Libya and Spain.
From the North African country, they recruited Syrian citizens and arranged their transfer to Libya, passing through Sudan or Lebanon. They provided them with the necessary documentation for the trip, including visas and exit permits.
Once in Libya, they remained housed in the organisation's safe houses until they were transferred to Algeria, where they were sheltered in apartments controlled by the network.
Raids across Spain have led to 15 arrests in Almería, Roquetas de Mar and Málaga. The raids resulted in 13 properties being searched and €522,710 ($570,600) and $1,200 in cash seized. A pistol, two high-speed boats, two outboard motors, 575 litres of gasoline, seven vehicles, 200 grams of hashish, 42 mobile phones, two computers, a tablet and other documents were also seized.
