THE Almería Provincial Court has sentenced a man to ten years in prison after being accused of steering a boat with 14 migrants from North Africa towards the coast of Almeria, in which 6,000 MDMA or ecstasy pills were also found, worth more than 82,000 euros, which were to be sold on the illicit market.
The accused accepted the facts and admitted to having committed a crime against the rights of foreign citizens, another against public health and a third of disobedience, since he fled when he was spotted by the Civil Guard, who warned of the presence of the boat infra. For this last crime, a fine of three euros per day for six months is also imposed.
The sentence, consulted by Europa Press, considers it proven that on December 19, 2022, the accused, known by several names, attempted to encourage the irregular entry into Spain of several people with the “intention of enriching themselves”for which he sailed a boat from the African coast to the waters of Almeria.
So, despite lacking sufficient technical or practical skills and training to navigate the high seas, he piloted the nine-metre-long boat equipped with an outboard motor throughout the journey after charging each of the occupants a certain amount of money for the passage.
Around 5:10 the next morning, the boat was intercepted by the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard About seven nautical miles from the Cabo de Gata lighthouse, the agents therefore issued acoustic and light signals for the boat to stop.
Despite this, the accused “tried to flee” the scene “in total disregard of the duties of the officers” and the resulting risk to the occupants of the boat, which gave rise to a chase that lasted “several minutes” as the accused “increased his speed, carried out evasive maneuvers and turns” in an attempt to escape from the Civil Guard.
Seeing himself cornered, the accused finally stopped the boat and tried to hide between its occupants and the bottles of petrol they were carrying, which added an additional risk to the journey due to the danger of an explosion.
During the inspection of the boat, a package containing 6,000 MDMA tablets was found in a drawer under the control console, which was to be sold once in Spanish territory, according to the judgment of May 23. The more than two kilos of ecstasy pills were valued at approximately 82,872 euros.
