Spanish police have arrested five people in two separate investigations into alleged migrant smuggling operations transporting people from Ceuta to mainland Spain, with passengers reportedly being charged as much as €9,000 for the dangerous journey across the Strait of Gibraltar.
The National Police said on Friday that four suspects had been arrested as part of one investigation into an organisation allegedly arranging clandestine boat crossings between the Spanish North African city and the Andalusian coast.
Two of the suspects were detained in Ceuta and another two in La Línea de la Concepción, in the Cádiz province. They are accused of offences relating to membership of a criminal organisation and facilitating irregular immigration.
A fifth man has been remanded in custody in connection with a separate crossing on 14 August, when seven migrants allegedly paid €8,000 each to make the journey to the Spanish mainland in a small boat with virtually no safety equipment.
The two investigations come in the aftermath of the huge influx of irregular migrants into Ceuta in late July, when an estimated 72,000 people entered the enclave from neighbouring Morocco, many by swimming around the border or crossing on foot.
Scores of people died during the influx, which also intensified political tensions over migration within the European Union.
Although most of those who entered Ceuta have since returned to Morocco, thousands have remained in the Spanish territory, with some sleeping on beaches or in the streets. The Spanish government has set up temporary facilities in an effort to ease pressure on Ceuta’s overwhelmed migrant accommodation system. ALSO READ: Ceuta police clear migrants from Trampolín beach and move them to temporary shelters.
Migrants allegedly charged up to €9,000
The first police investigation began after officers discovered a small high-speed boat stranded on a rocky outcrop along the coast at Benzú, in Ceuta.
An examination of the vessel found damage and other signs consistent with recent high-speed use, leading investigators to suspect that it had been intended for migrant smuggling. Police said the boat became stranded before it was able to collect any passengers.
Investigators subsequently uncovered what they allege was a wider operation involving intermediaries who approached migrants who had entered Ceuta irregularly during the recent mass influx.
The migrants were allegedly offered passage to mainland Spain for approximately €9,000 per person.
According to police, those who agreed to make the journey could be kept temporarily in private homes, garages and other locations while waiting for a crossing to be arranged.
Members of the organisation would then use support vehicles to move them discreetly to a rendezvous point on the coast, choosing routes intended to avoid police surveillance.
A boat would travel from mainland Spain to Ceuta to collect the passengers before returning across the Strait of Gibraltar. Other members of the network were allegedly waiting on the Andalusian side to receive the migrants and move them away from the landing area.
Police said the organisation also recruited experienced boat pilots and paid them substantial sums to carry out the crossings.
‘Boat drivers were selected for their experience navigating fast and their ability to take evasive manoeuvres and dodge police checks,’ the police statement said.
The operation resulted in the four arrests in Ceuta and La Línea de la Concepción, while officers also seized the high-speed boat believed to have been intended for use by the network. ALSO READ: Thousands remain in Ceuta as Spain moves to expand emergency accommodation.
Seven people spent five hours at sea
The second investigation centred on a particularly hazardous crossing during the night of 14 August.
Police allege that seven people were taken from Ceuta towards mainland Spain aboard a boat measuring only around five metres long and two metres wide.
At approximately 4am, the seven passengers were intercepted in the El Burgo beach area of La Línea de la Concepción after spending around five hours at sea and travelling approximately 40 kilometres across open water.
Investigators were told that the man suspected of organising the journey charged €8,000 for each passenger. If all seven paid that amount, the crossing would have generated approximately €56,000.
Police said the small vessel lacked basic safety equipment and that the passengers had been crammed aboard for the overnight journey.
There were no life jackets and inadequate rescue or signalling equipment, while some of those travelling reportedly had little or no ability to swim.
At one stage, the vessel was left drifting in the Strait of Gibraltar.
The danger was heightened by thick fog during the crossing, severely restricting visibility and making navigation more difficult. Police said the conditions would also have reduced the chances of the boat being spotted by other vessels if an emergency had occurred.
Investigators consider the combination of the vessel’s condition, the absence of safety equipment, the weather and the lengthy night-time crossing to have placed the lives and physical safety of those on board at serious risk.
According to to Spanish media, the suspect arrested in connection with the 14 August journey has been remanded in custody while the case is investigated.
He is suspected of an offence against the rights of foreign nationals, while investigators are also examining possible aggravating factors including financial gain, the particular vulnerability of the migrants and the danger posed to their lives, health and physical integrity.
Both investigations involved cooperation between National Police units operating along the Andalusian coast and central police services, working in coordination with prosecutors responsible for combating migrant smuggling. ALSO READ: Spain installs sea barrier as Ceuta slowly returns to normality and death toll rises to 72.
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🚩Desarticuladas dos organizaciones dedicadas al tráfico ilícito de #migrantes desde #Ceuta hasta la Península
🔴Cinco personas han sido detenidas en #Ceuta y #LaLínea
🔴Los investigados cobraban hasta 9.000 € por trasladar a migrantes en pequeñas embarcaciones, poniendo en… pic.twitter.com/VeExOefP6P
— Policía Nacional (@policia) August 21, 2026
🔴 ÚLTIMA HORA | La Policía confirma la llegada de migrantes a la Península tras la entrada masiva a Ceuta: las mafias cobraban 9.000 euros por cada viaje
Informa @JaviBanuelos https://t.co/zWlVO5bM9l pic.twitter.com/bR80SDQ9pi
— Cadena SER (@La_SER) August 21, 2026
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