SIX people have been arrested in Alicante after travelling 290 kilometres from Almeria to try to break the city’s weekend perimeter closure.
Details of Saturday’s incident were only released today(February 2) by the Policia Nacional.
Two taxis, with three Algerian nationals in each of them, made the long trip to the Costa Blanca, which would normally average a hire cost of €300 per car.
With the Valencian Community under a border closure since the end of October, the vehicles presumably broke perimeter controls to get into the region in the first place.
The cabs were stopped at an Alicante checkpoint at the Mexico roundabout
One of the taxi drivers told a police officer that they had driven all the way from Almeria.
The taxis were ordered to turn round and head back south, as well as sanction tickets being issued for the drivers and passengers.
All seemed well as the vehicles went round the Mexico roundabout in a move to get out of Alicante.
A set of traffic lights turned red, and the passengers, aged between 18 and 32, opened the taxi doors and ran off.
Police pursued the group through the streets and the travellers were rounded up as they tried to hide in the bus station.
All six were charged with the crime of disobedience and resistance at the Policia Nacional station in Alicante.
They refused to answer questions, including the crucial one as to why they so desperately wanted to get into the city.