The National Police disbanded in the northern zone of Alicante three independent houses which were used to house irregular migrants and it had become “patera floors“Many of these migrants, originally from Algeria and Morocco, had recently arrived on the Spanish coast aboard boats which docked in unauthorized places, as reported by the police in a press release.
In exchange for an economic amount, those currently detained, six people only one of whom was in a legal situation in Spain while two others had a criminal record for other acts, they benefited from a place where remains hidden temporarily on the national territory.
During the investigation, three independently functioning houses were inspected. The houses They were in “poor condition” and they showed signs of reform. Some of them lacked thermal insulation. The houses had three bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom and a kitchen, but they were busy with many bedsmattress on the floor, as well as shoes, suitcases and scattered clothes.
They slept on the balconies
Migrants were only allowed to sleep in these houses, without access to private rooms or exclusive bathrooms. On one of the floors he found a migrant sleeping on the floor of a balcony, covered with blankets.
These people They paid between 10 and 20 euros per night stay in these houses. In some cases, the monthly rent for a bed reaches between 300 and 600 euros. At the time of the police intervention, 17 people occupied the three floors.
The National Police learned that this activity was the only source of income for several detainees, five men and one woman, all of Algerian nationality, aged 22 to 57 years old. All are under investigation as suspected perpetrators of a offense of promoting illegal immigration. The actions were brought to the attention of the Alicante Guard Instruction Court.
As reported by the Police, article 318 bis.2 dThe Penal Code punishes those who help illegal foreigners so that they can stay in Spain illegally, provided that they do so for profit. This includes, for example, “poor rents or fees for unsafe living spaces.”
The law seeks to protect migrants that, due to lack of protection, “they are sometimes forced to accept accommodation in poor conditions”. People who take advantage of this situation can face “relatively high prison sentences and fines, as these acts are considered very serious and aim to prevent the most vulnerable from being exploited.”
