FOUR migrants have been arrested in Algeciras after a fast boat carrying up to 20 people landed on the coast at dawn.
The arrests appear to confirm that human trafficking mafias have reactivated the Strait of Gibraltar route following the recent border chaos in Ceuta.
A witness tipped off the 112 Andalucia emergency hotline at 8am on Monday after spotting the vessel off Cala Secreta, near the Punta Carnero lighthouse.
The migrant group scattered inland, prompting a major search operation involving the Policia Nacional, Guardia Civil, Cruz Roja and local police.
It comes after a weekend surge that saw roughly 50 people arrive on the beaches of Algeciras and La Linea in jet skis and fast boats.
Traffickers are reportedly exploiting the institutional distraction in Ceuta to launch a premium ‘VIP service’ across the Strait.
Mafias are charging between €4,000 and €6,000 per head to cross the water in minutes, dropping passengers near the shore to swim the final stretch.
This allows them to evade the heavier maritime patrols that easily intercept traditional wooden pateras, which typically cost between €1,000 and €3,000.
The sudden influx directly contradicts claims made by the Algeciras town hall on Sunday.
First Deputy Mayor Jacinto Muñoz Madrid issued a release dismissing the weekend arrivals as a ‘relatively normal’ consequence of the area’s geography.
However, data from the Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado (CEAR) reveals the Strait of Gibraltar route had become virtually obsolete.
The 2026 CEAR Annual Report confirms only 347 migrants used the route in the whole of 2025, accounting for just 1% of total Spanish border crossings.
Prior to this weekend, the last recorded migrant vessel arrival in the Campo de Gibraltar was in May.
The Guardia Civil has now deployed a patrol boat to intensify coastal surveillance around the lighthouse.
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