A GANG made €560,000 by supplying high-speed boats to traffickers transporting illegal migrants from Algeria to Spain.
Six members of the crew have been arrested in Almeria province by the Policia Nacional plus an additional detention in Alicante.
They have been charged with belonging to a criminal group, abusing the rights of foreign citizens, smuggling, document forgery plus the theft of a vehicle
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Three of the detainees have been jailed with three semi-rigid boats impounded.
The Policia Nacional said the boats were used in at least four trips to bring over 80 migrants.
The gang also provided logistical services like engines and fuel for other criminal organisations.
Police got wind of the operation in July 2024 as they monitored boats supplied by the gang which were used for illegal transfers.
The final destination for the migrant journeys was the Almeria coast.
The vessels were kept hidden in buildings managed and controlled by the criminals.
The Policia Nacional said the gang was well-structured with distinct roles for its members.
It had intermediaries who liased with Algerian criminal organisations operating in the Alboran Sea.
There were transporters who moved the boats by land, people who tested them prior to delivery, guards who concealed the craft, and a manager who co-ordinated the whole process.
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