Smuggled immigrants and kidnapped gang rival in Spain

A GANG that has allegedly smuggled 100 immigrants into Spain in 2019 and held a rival gang member hostage has been broken up. 

National Police in Ceuta in collaboration with Europol arrested 10 people during seven searches in which they seized €4,700, three kilos of hashish, more than 1,000 tablets of karkubi – mixed hashish and psychotropic drugs – various knives and a fake gun. 

The organisation sold Spanish identity documents to foreigners and smuggled Moroccan citizens into Spain by inflatable boats. 

The investigation began in September 2018, after the arrival on the coasts of Algeciras (Cadiz) of several inflatable boats with illegal immigrants. 

National Police realised that there was a criminal organisation, made up of Spanish nationals and Moroccans settled in Ceuta, who trafficked immigrants. 

Immigrants paid between €2,000 and €2,500 each to be brought to Spain, with between 10 and 15 in each boat. 

A member of the organisation in Ceuta accompanied the migrant at all times, trying to guarantee both the crossing of borders and the payment of the service. 

The nature of the organisation, which was also involved in drug trafficking, was of a markedly violent nature, even carrying out the kidnapping of a member of another criminal gang. 

The kidnapped person was held for five days in a house located in the Ceutí del Príncipe neighbourhood, where he received continuous physical and psychological attacks until the required payment was made for a debt he owed the gang.