People-smuggling networks are believed to have opened new routes to move migrants from Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave, to the Spanish mainland. According to Spanish newspaper Europa Sur, the groups are using speedboats and jet skis to ferry migrants across the Strait of Gibraltar to Spain’s southern coast.
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Several landings were reported over the weekend near the cities of Algeciras and La Línea de la Concepción, close to Gibraltar, where Spanish security forces intercepted groups of young Moroccan nationals.
The newspaper reported that the criminal networks are taking advantage of the thousands of migrants still stranded in Ceuta following the recent border crisis, offering irregular crossings to mainland Spain using fast vessels capable of reaching lightly monitored beaches.
The reported crossings come as Spanish authorities have reinforced security in and around Ceuta and stepped up surveillance of the Strait of Gibraltar to prevent further departures. Officials say they are monitoring the suspected smuggling networks and working to dismantle them.