{"id":1161462,"date":"2026-08-21T16:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T16:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1161462\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T16:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T16:08:14","slug":"spain-dismantles-two-human-trafficking-networks-operating-in-ceuta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1161462\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain Dismantles Two Human Trafficking Networks Operating in Ceuta"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Rabat \u2013 Spanish authorities have dismantled two human trafficking networks involved in moving migrants from the occupied enclave Ceuta to mainland Spain.<\/p>\n<p>Spanish news agency EFE <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/efe.com\/andalucia\/2026-08-21\/caen-dos-organizaciones-de-trafico-ilicito-de-migrantes-desde-ceuta-hasta-la-peninsula\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">said<\/a> police arrested five people using small boats to traffic people.<\/p>\n<p>The group also charges migrants up to \u20ac9,000 (MAD 97,300), the report said, quoting a National Police statement. Four of the suspects were arrested in one of the operations, facing charges of criminal organization and facilitating irregular migration.<\/p>\n<p>Police, based on a second probe, arrested a man for his alleged involvement in an organization that facilitated human trafficking from Ceuta to Spain.<\/p>\n<p>The arrests come amid an already intense situation following the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moroccoworldnews.com\/2026\/08\/333620\/minor-migrants-face-abuse-are-at-risk-of-exploitation-and-trafficking-in-ceuta\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ceuta<\/a> cross-border migration of July 30 and 31, when tens of thousands of people reached or attempted to cross to the enclave in one of the largest irregular migration events that struck the Moroccan and Spanish borders.<\/p>\n<p>Spanish reports estimate that between 70,000 and 80,000 entered the enclave, including thousands of minors.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moroccoworldnews.com\/2026\/08\/334675\/why-morocco-is-pushing-back-against-spains-political-exploitation-of-ceuta-crisis\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Moroccan<\/a> government data, however, emphasized that the number of entries was 40,000 in Ceuta, while over 1,000 headed to Melilla.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the crisis, Morocco and Spain introduced an emergency plan for the return of all those who entered the enclave.<\/p>\n<p>Moroccan authorities also responded to the criticism, especially from Spain\u2019s far-right, stressing that Rabat has always been committed to its role in managing migration and emphasizing that this issue of migration is a shared responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>Spain also stressed that entering the enclaves, either Ceuta or Melilla, does not grant any right to remain in the region, travel to mainland Spain, or move freely within Europe.<\/p>\n<p>The Spanish government\u2019s response followed the widespread interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling of July 8, which is against \u201chot returns\u201d of migrants who cross into Ceuta by swimming.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court ruling \u201cclarifies the procedures applicable to migrants arriving by sea\u2014nothing more.\u201d It emphasized that the ruling does not amend the Immigration Law.<\/p>\n<p>Most of the migrants who entered Ceuta were returned, except for a few thousand who are also subject to identification for repatriation procedures.<\/p>\n<p>Europe considers Morocco a safe country, and therefore Spain could rule in favor of the return of all those who remain in the enclave \u2013 especially that Rabat and Madrid agreed on their return.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rabat \u2013 Spanish authorities have dismantled two human trafficking networks involved in moving migrants from the occupied enclave&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1161463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5312],"tags":[143021,311941,2000,299,104],"class_list":["post-1161462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-ceuta","tag-ceuta-and-morocco","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-spain"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117134367434411088","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1161462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1161463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1161462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1161462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1161462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}