The Civil Guard frustrates mafias' attempt to transfer migrants from Ceuta to the peninsula

The Civil Guard has thwarted in Ceuta the departure of a boat that had set sail for the peninsular coast with seven migrants and two alleged skippers. The intervention has led the Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) to warn this Wednesday of a change in the modus operandi of networks dedicated to human trafficking, which would be using the autonomous city as a transit platform to the peninsula.

According to the organization, mafias seek to avoid land border controls and gain time against surveillance devices. The case that raised alarms occurred on Monday in the cliffs of La Sirena, in the midst of a migration crisis and while several thousand people who arrived during the massive entry on July 30 still remain in Ceuta.

A monitored departure from the cliffs

It all began around 8:05 a.m., when agents of the 2nd Fiscal and Border Company of the Ceuta Civil Guard Command observed with binoculars a group of seven or eight people by the sea. Near them were two jerry cans compatible with fuel, a detail that led the coast patrol to maintain vigilance.

The group then went up to the La Sirena building and remained there for fifteen to twenty minutes using several mobile phones. AUGC believes that these movements pointed to a possible coordination with the people in charge of the transfer. Shortly after, they returned to the shore on the opposite side of the cliff and three members collected the jerry cans. Just a few minutes later, a white fiberglass boat set off towards the peninsula.

The agents communicated the entire sequence in real time to the Services Operations Center (COS), which mobilized the Maritime Service. The patrol boat arrived four minutes after the boat left the coast.

All occupants ended up in the water

Upon detecting the presence of the Civil Guard, the person operating the boat tried to return to land and performed several evasive maneuvers. Two occupants jumped into the sea and, shortly after, the boat capsized, so the rest also fell into the water.

The operation ended with seven migrants and two alleged traffickers intercepted, with no serious injuries, according to information released by AUGC and confirmed by sources from the armed institution. The civil guards recorded the intervention and took photographs that have been incorporated into the police report to clarify the role of each of the occupants and their possible links with those who organized the departure from land.

AUGC maintains that the episode shows how criminal networks are adapting their operations to the situation in Ceuta and demands more maritime, land, and air resources at the southern border. The association has also highlighted the actions of the coast agents and the Maritime Service, whose vigilance allowed detecting the departure before the vessel embarked on a much more dangerous journey towards the peninsula.