Five arrested after migrant teenager injured by speedboat propeller

A joint operation conducted by the National Police and Customs Surveillance targeting an illegal immigration network operating speedboats has led to five arrests and the seizure of two vessels used to transport migrants from Algeria. The suspects have also been charged with injuring a 15-year-old boy who was seriously hurt when struck by a speedboat propeller after those operating the vessel forced its occupants to jump into the sea upon being spotted by authorities in the town of Águilas, Murcia.

The investigation, involving the UCRIF III groups of the National Police Brigades of Immigration and Borders of Alicante and Murcia alongside the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency of Alicante, commenced in early July following the arrival on the Águilas coastline of a speedboat carrying at least 24 people of Algerian origin, four of whom were minors.

Officers managed to identify the pilots and track down the location where vessels were hidden and modified following voyages to evade detection, which included altering names, registration numbers, and licence plates.

Days later, investigators spotted a vessel waiting offshore from the Murcia coast to be refuelled by another boat involved in illegal fuel smuggling. Upon discovery, the crew forced the passengers to jump into the water off the coast of Águilas without survival equipment and fled at high speed, abandoning them in open water. During the evasive manoeuvre, the boat turned sharply and the propeller of one engine struck the 15-year-old boy. The teenager suffered severe injuries to his right pectoral muscle and both limbs, requiring urgent transport to hospital for surgery following his rescue.

The pursuit by the Alicante Customs patrol boat continued in adverse weather conditions until the four men aboard were apprehended. Two were subsequently remanded in custody after appearing before an Alicante judge. Police reports noted that several passengers required CPR after swallowing water as they could not swim, while others suffered first- and second-degree burns on their buttocks and legs caused by gasoline spilt on the boat mixing with saltwater.

Subsequent enquiries led to the arrest of the individual allegedly responsible for supplying fuel at sea. Officers executed two search warrants, one at a residence in Alicante and another at a property in Mutxamel. The Alicante search yielded an 8mm revolver and ten 9mm cartridges, whilst at the Mutxamel site, officers seized a pellet gun, a van, a trailer, and a semi-rigid inflatable boat fitted with a high-powered engine.

In total, five people were arrested. Suspected offences include membership of a criminal organisation, facilitating illegal immigration, smuggling, assault, serious disobedience to law enforcement officers, and the possession or storage of flammable, explosive, or incendiary substances.

Investigators revealed that the organisation charged each passenger between 6,000 and 10,000 euro for the crossing from the Algerian coast to Spain. Payments were collected in Algeria, typically in cash via family members or through the hawala informal money transfer system, with over 20 people packed onto a single boat. The network also used the trips to transport narcotics between the coasts and relied on sophisticated equipment, including satellite communications and a 12-metre rigid-hulled speedboat equipped with two 300-horsepower engines valued at over 160,000 euro.