WATCH: Gang of drug smugglers turned migrant traffickers held in Spain

FOUR people have been arrested in the Spanish overseas territory of Ceuta, for trafficking migrants to the mainland in speedboats normally used in the drug’s trade.
A Civil Guard union confirmed last month that narcos in the south of the country had moved into the ‘lucrative’ business of migrant trafficking as an increasing number of people attempt to reach Europe from Africa, via Spain.
Police allege the four detainees led a gang in Ceuta that took migrants, specifically Algerians, across the Mediterranean to the mainland.
It has been reported they charged between €1,800 and €2,000 per person per trip, earning a profit of around €26,000 each vessel.
A source claims the profits of the ‘organisation’ were such that those involved ‘devoted themselves to this criminal field rather than that related to drugs’.
According to data from the International Organisation for Migration, more than 40,000 migrants have reached Spain by sea since the beginning of the year, with a further 398 dying in the process.
This is more than three times as many as during the same period last year.

Detenidos en #Ceuta los máximos responsables de una red que introducía ciudadanos argelinos en la península utilizando narcolanchas. Cobraban 2.000 euros por persona para poder emprender el viaje.
Colabora con nosotros en ➡ antidroga@policia.es pic.twitter.com/UQYJvYufwG

— Policía Nacional (@policia) October 13, 2018