National Police, backed by the Guardia Civil, arrested two alleged traffickers on 21 October after raiding four overcrowded flats—dubbed “pisos patera”—in Ceuta’s El Príncipe district. Officers found 108 migrants living in squalid conditions, each reportedly paying up to €150 a week for floor space while awaiting passage to mainland Spain. Investigators say the network offered forged ferry tickets and instructed clients on how to evade internal Schengen checks, charging an additional €300 for counterfeit work contracts purportedly issued by farms in Huelva and Murcia. Seized evidence includes Moroccan passports, Italian residence cards and €27,000 in cash. The operation follows a spike in unaccompanied minors disappearing from official shelters—authorities suspect many were lured by smugglers promising onward travel. Police warn that criminal groups are exploiting the current backlog in deportations to entrench profitable housing rackets. For global-mobility managers, the case is a reminder that employees or contractors transiting through Ceuta should book accommodation through verified providers and carry original documents for spot-checks; penalties for facilitating irregular migration can include multi-year entry bans. Prosecutors will charge the suspects with crimes against foreign nationals’ rights and membership in a criminal organisation, offences carrying up to eight years in prison.
Source: Moncloa.com
