Immigrant boat slips under the radar

A six metre dinghy found on the Carritxal beach could have been used to transport immigrants or drugs. The Guardia Civil were alerted by a member of public who noticed a half-sunk boat with markings in Arabic on the rocks of the beach located between Villajoyosa and Campello.

Owing to the size of the boat and its small cabin, investigators initially believed it was used to disembark illegal immigrants. Nevertheless, closer examination revealed the recent presence of drugs, said Guardia Civil sources.

Boats like these are commonly used by immigrants, they said.  It is also unusual to bring in drugs directly from North Africa as consignments are usually transferred at sea to Spanish-registered boats and ferried ashore.

Officers are investigating a possible link to three Tunisians who were recently arrested in Novelda. None had identification papers and although one admitted he had arrived by boat, another claimed he arrived six months ago.

This was the third time in just over a year that illegal immigrants have arrived in the Villajoyosa area by boats that were not detected by the Integrated Surveillance Systems’ radar setup.