New action to catch vehicle smugglers at Spanish ports

AS part of an international drive to stop exportation of stolen vehicles, officers of the National Police have targeted the ports of Algeciras, Malaga and Tarifa.

Under an investigation which included officers from Interpol, officers checked vehicles due to cross by ferry to Africa and discovered nine stolen cars and a single motorcycle, all of which were bound for Ceuta or Tangier.

According to reports, as many as 90 per cent of these mainly high end cars destined for Africa are driven onto ferries in Spain although they may have been stolen in almost any European country.

This is a highly lucrative business which evades import fees and the funds earned from the sale of these illicitly obtained vehicles can be put to work support other criminal or even terrorist activities.

The volume of this illegal trade in stolen vehicles naturally increases during the summer months when many honest and innocent Moroccans in particular travel from all across Europe, converging on the nearest ports to their home destinations.