The Spanish National Police and Guardia Civil arrested three suspects in Cádiz and Granada this week on suspicion of throwing 37 illegal migrants into the sea. Five people drowned last autumn in the sea on the route between Morocco and Spain.
Fast boats
On November 29, the group of people were transferred to fast semi-inflatable boats near the Moroccan coastal town of Kenitra. Before reaching the Spanish coast, people were threatened with machetes, abused and thrown overboard.
According to Spanish authorities, the suspects knew that there were strong currents in the area and that it was difficult to reach the coast safely.
The suspects are two men and a woman who allegedly ordered the operation.
Bodies
Initially, four lifeless bodies were recovered. A fifth body was recovered days later. This body had to be identified using DNA obtained from relatives in Morocco.
There were probably 37 migrants on board the boat, the exact number has never been determined. The migrants paid between 3,000 and 12,000 euros for the journey from Kenitra (Morocco) to the southwestern port of Cádiz in Spain.
