The magistrate of Alicante’s Instruction Court No. 8 ordered on Tuesday that a 30-year-old Algerian man held in Alicante be jailed. He was identified by the National Police as the captain of a boat rescued by Salvamento Marítimo on Sunday night about 65 kilometers from the Alicante port.
The detainee faces charges of aggravated human trafficking, according to sources from the Supreme Court of Justice. An aggravated crime is considered when the life or physical or mental integrity of individuals is put at risk. In this case, statements from at least two of the six migrants aboard the vessel indicated that the eighth passenger died during the voyage from Algeria to Alicante. This marks the second patera captain to be arrested in Alicante in recent days.
Data from the Alicante National Police Unit Against Migration Networks and Documentary Fraud (UCRIF) shows that eight people were on board the boat initially. The craft was spotted by a sailing vessel and rescued after eleven days at sea, with Salvamar Leo and other Sea Rescue assets assisting.
Eyewitnesses reported that one person jumped into the sea out of desperation after nine days of travel. The others managed to locate him quickly and bring him aboard. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, and he was submerged again, with the group later deciding to remove him from the water. Upon arrival in Alicante, the Red Cross provided care to the survivors, who showed signs of dehydration and malnutrition.