Within the framework of the operation known as Torretita, the Guardia Civil of the Almeria Command arrested three people belonging to a criminal organisation dedicated to facilitating the entry of migrants in an irregular manner, as alleged perpetrators of a crime against the rights of foreign citizens.
Operation Torretita, developed by investigation units belonging to the Guardia Civil of the Almeria Command, especially dedicated to the dismantling of criminal organisations whose activity is to facilitate the entry of migrants in an irregular manner, is developed as a result of the monitoring of possible organisations for the introduction of people, together with new information and data from daily monitoring. Based on this knowledge, a preventive mechanism is established for the specific control of suspicious movements in the specific area. As a result, a vehicle transporting a recreational boat on a light trailer to the Torregarcía beach (Almería) is located.
As a result of this information, in coordination with the 062 Service Command and Coordination Centre of the Guardia Civil Command in Almeria, the recreational boat was tracked towards the coastal area of the Comarca de Nijar (Almeria) and, given the suspicion that it was an attempt to bring in migrants, a police operation was organised.
As a result of this tracking, it was determined that the boat was carrying five migrants, among them a pregnant woman, who disembarked in Cala Carnaje, later moving to the beach of Torregarcia where it was taken ashore in a semi-trailer with an all-terrain vehicle, which was intercepted by the force of the device on the A7 motorway, where the three people occupying the vehicle were arrested as alleged perpetrators of a crime against the rights of foreign citizens.
It is important to note the serious risk for the people who make these crossings, who unfortunately in a large number of cases die due to the scarce safety measures they are equipped with, their vulnerability due to the very long journeys and subjected to very adverse conditions, both climatic and in terms of food for subsistence and other elements of protection such as waistcoats and other elements necessary at sea. At the same time, these criminal organisations promote an underground economy by laundering money from their illegal activities. The organisations have logistical and economic infrastructures to maintain their activities at different levels.