Photos: Ship Captain Arrested In Cartagena For Illegal Transportation Of Migrants

Guardia Civil officers have arrested a merchant vessel’s captain in the waters off the Cartagena coast. He was detained as he was suspected to be a human trafficking perpetrator. He was also abusing the rights of foreign nationals along with document falsifications.

During the operation, eight Syrians, victims of an organization dedicated to human trafficking were recognized and released later on. An investigation was launched when the Guardia Civil had been informed about the use of a merchant ship by a criminal institution for human trafficking.

The illegal activity was cunningly carried out in the guise of a merchant vessel carrying cattle. Thanks to the cooperation undertaken by European agencies, the route has been shut down.

Two people had been arrested by police in the municipality Mazarron. The same individual had taken the chance to abandon it when it was close to the coastline. This is when Guardia Civil officers got on the ship when it was docked at the Cartagena port.

Image Credits: guardiacivil.es

The officers identified the captain and examined maritime documents. The process revealed irregularity in the documents on eight crew members of Syrian origin. Eventually, a full-scale inspection was carried out, where it was found that the eight members lacked the qualification or training necessary to carry out maritime activities. It was understood that the Syrians were forced to work on the vessel under exploitative conditions.

It appears that the organization strategized to recruit members of Syrian origin and individuals belonging to other such conflict zones, who were offered a transfer to Europe for almost 13,000 euros.

To do so, they even acquired a cattle ship, under a third country’s flag. The vessel had changed its name thrice, making it difficult for police forces to track the movements.

Image Credits: guardiacivil.es

Immigrants were allotted fictitious marine tasks. Quite naturally, they exceeded the number of workers needed for such transport. The proceedings conducted and the detainee were at the disposal of the Cartagena’s Investigating Court. The vessel was seized. The report has been shared by larazon.es.