In a case that drew international attention, a National Police operation led to the arrest of a man suspected of acting as the captain of a boat carrying thirteen migrants who drifted at sea after being towed by a second vessel. The suspected captain is accused of sinking the boat along with all its occupants, an act that resulted in the deaths of four people.
The incident unfolded in early January 2022. Units from the UCRIF Group III, attached to the Immigration and Borders Brigade of the Alicante Provincial Police Station, opened an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of four individuals who had embarked on a vessel off the coast of Algeria with the intention of reaching the Spanish shoreline.
Investigators established that the vessel carrying the four missing migrants had begun its voyage off the Algerian coast and was bound for Spain. Police sources confirmed that there were thirteen people aboard, including two men who held the role of captain on the ship.
Following the initial observations, authorities learned that the ship had departed from Algeria and headed toward the Spanish coast. An engine failure left the boat adrift offshore, setting it adrift through the night. The following morning, another vessel carrying migrants appeared on the horizon, and those aboard the captured s attacked a rescue operation; the crews on the assisting boat offered aid and managed to pull the migrants aboard.
At a distance of about thirty kilometers from the coast of Almería, the two captains of the towed vessel made a dangerous decision to sink the ship, along with all its passengers, using a reckless maneuver.
When the occupants fell into the water, they swam toward the towing vessel, but only nine of the thirteen people, including the two captains, were allowed to board the assisting ship. The remaining four were blocked from boarding after being threatened with a knife.
The families of the four missing individuals reported the suspicions of their disappearance, and investigations indicated that none of the four reached the shores of Spain. In contrast, the rescue boat that saved the two captains and the rest of the crew arrived on the shores of Almería.
Forensic and investigative teams identified one of the ship’s captains while he was staying in a hotel in Madrid. In coordination with the Judicial Police Group of the Central Region, National Police officials announced that charges of murder, aiding illegal immigration, and belonging to a criminal organization were being pursued in relation to the case.
The accused, a 32-year-old man, was placed in the custody of the Madrid Court of Investigation, and the investigation continues to locate the other captain involved in the incident.