Fuerteventura police dismantle criminal network that tossed migrants into the sea

“It was a ‘violent’ network, with a stable and ‘hierarchical’ structure, composed of Moroccan citizens with clearly defined functions.”

National Police agents from the Local Immigration and Borders Brigade in Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) carried out Operation ‘Náufr’, which enabled them to dismantle the Spanish operational arm of an international criminal organization dedicated to the illicit trafficking of migrants from Morocco to the Canary Islands via the Atlantic route.

The network was taken down after officers launched a police operation following the location of two immigrants—victims of the ring—who agreed to cooperate with authorities under a protected‑witness program, according to a press release from the National Police.

Their testimonies allowed investigators to identify a Moroccan citizen residing in Fuerteventura who was directly linked to the organization’s leadership in Morocco, specifically in the Tan‑Tan and El Aaiún areas.

Authorities describe the group as a violent, stable, and hierarchical network made up of Moroccan nationals with clearly defined roles, including recruitment, transportation, payment collection, logistics, piloting, and control.

The smugglers also possessed off‑road vehicles, inflatable boats, and firearms, enabling them to carry out multiple illicit activities simultaneously.

Migrants were loaded onto the vessels without life jackets or any safety equipment and were subjected to “violence, coercion, and degrading treatment under extreme conditions.” One witness recounted that the main operative in Spain “threw three migrants into the sea during the crossing; they have been missing ever since, and he physically assaulted the victims.”

Another witness identified the same individual as the boat’s pilot and the person responsible for collecting payments from migrants, confirming his central role in the operation.

One Member of the Network Was Arrested in April

Through analysis of social media and open‑source information, police concluded that this investigation is linked to a separate case from April 2025, in which another member of the organization was detained and is currently held in pre‑trial detention.

Investigators verified that both individuals maintained a close personal and operational relationship, confirming their belonging to the same transnational criminal network.

The final phase of the dismantling took place on 8–9 October in Puerto del Rosario, where authorities arrested the primary suspect in Spain—a 22‑year‑old Moroccan man—on charges of membership in a criminal organization, facilitating illegal immigration, homicide, serious threats, and failure to render assistance.

After the police procedures were completed, the detainee was handed over to the competent judicial authority, which ordered his placement in provisional prison.

With this operation, the National Police have completely dismantled the Spanish cell of this significant transnational criminal organization involved in the illegal trafficking of migrants along the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands.