Security has been tightened at ports in the autonomous Spanish region of Cantabria to prevent irregular migrants from Albania traveling to Great Britain.
Spanish police have tightened security at the ports of Bilbao and Santander, in the autonomous region of Cantabria, to prevent irregular Albanian migrants from travelling to the UK. The new measures have been introduced after a smuggling ring that used Spain as a base was dismantled last week following a probe.
Dozens arrested
The investigation has led to the arrest of 39 people, allegedly belonging to various cells responsible for smuggling at least 7,000 Albanian nationals from Spain towards Great Britain.
The ring allegedly also took advantage of a new service between Santander and the Irish port of Cork, introduced in response to an increase in passenger traffic. This is now the target of special police controls.
International cooperation
International cooperation and the exchange of information between Spanish and British intelligence have been key to busting the ring, investigators say. Two Romanian nationals were arrested in Santander recently after being found transporting nine Albanians in a caravan. Three were detained while trying to hide in a lorry due to emark for Cork and two more on a tourist bus.
Undocumented Albanians caught by police are repatriated on flights organised jointly by the EU border agency Frontex and the Albanian authorities.
Up to
€6,000 paid by migrants
Investigators say the migrants paid up to
€
6,000 to be smuggled from Spain to Britian. Part of the money was paid up front on departure from Spain and the rest on ariving at destination.
A week ago an Albanian national alleged to be the mastermind of the organisation was arrested. The ring could also rely on a group of Spanish drivers who hid the Albanians in caravans or lorries and smuggled them over the border into France, from where they would then try to cross the channel into Britain. (In the picture, police at the port of Santander. Credit: Santander Police).