A man was arrested last August in Alicante for his role as the captain of a boat carrying fifteen other people. He faced a potential prison sentence but accepted an agreement with the National Police that resulted in a two-year term for violating the rights of foreign citizens.
Initially, the defendant faced a six-year sentence. After the prosecution and defense lawyer Concepción Ferrández Campillo, from the office of José Manuel Yepes, negotiated an agreement, the Public Prosecutor’s Office reduced the requested penalty to two years following the defendant’s admission of guilt before the trial began.
Risk
According to the indictment approved by the prosecutor, the defendant transported fifteen people who had escaped from the Algerian coast and took on a dangerous, life-threatening voyage. The risks they faced were substantial as they crossed into international waters seeking a pathway to safety or better opportunities.
At dawn on August 18, the defendant piloted the boat toward the coast of Spain with a crew on board, four of whom were minors. During the journey, the engines failed, leaving the vessel adrift in open waters. The passengers were eventually spotted and rescued by Salvamar Leo, a Sea Rescue team, and brought to the port of Alicante for assistance.
The indictment also notes that the vessel failed to meet minimum safety standards and that the defendant did not possess the necessary qualifications to undertake such a voyage. Since his arrest in August, the defendant has remained in preventive detention in Alicante, with authorities recording at least one statement identifying him as the boat’s pilot.
To save
The rescue operation involved Salvamento Marítimo, which located the boat about twenty miles off the coast of Xàbia and brought the occupants to safety. On board were eleven men and one woman, including the captain, a five-year-old girl, and three teenagers aged between 15 and 16. A protected witness told the National Police that the voyage departed from an Algerian town late on August 18, with each migrant paying an estimated 5,800 euros for the passage. The witness added that the engine failed at dawn, leaving the group stranded at sea. [Credible testimony cited by authorities]
After drifting at sea, the group was found and rescued by Sea Rescue teams and transported to the Temporary Care Center for Aliens (CATE) at the Port of Alicante. The Red Cross provided initial medical care, and the individuals appeared to be in good health upon evaluation. [Public health check notes]