Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the Guardia Civil and Maritime Rescue intercepted 239 migrants who arrived on the coasts of Cabrera off Mallorca and Formentera aboard 13 small boats. On Tuesday night, according to information provided by the Government Delegation in the Balearics, two more small boats arrived, adding to the five that had arrived throughout the day with 73 people on board.
One was rescued at 10.42 p.m. seven miles south of Cabrera with 17 migrants of Maghreb origin.
The other, located a few minutes later and not far from there, was carrying 22 people of sub-Saharan origin. Throughout the early hours and morning of Wednesday, another six boats were rescued with a total of 127 migrants on board. The first was located at 1:30 a.m. seven miles south of Cabrera with 23 sub-Saharan people. At 2:40 a.m., also south of Cabrera, another 25 migrants of sub-Saharan origin were also rescued.
At 4.20 a.m., 21 people of Maghreb origin were intercepted in the area of Es Caló (Formentera), at 4.35 a.m. 25 sub-Saharan Africans were rescued in the waters off Cabrera and at 4.35 a.m. another 14 Maghrebians were located on the beach of Los Arenales (Formentera). The last intervention so far today took place at 7:45 a.m. in Es Caló, where 19 migrants of Maghrebi origin were located.
In the meantime, the National Police have arrested the four alleged skippers of two boats that arrived on the coast of Formentera in Ibiza. They have been remanded in custody by order of the judicial authorities. Two of them skippered a boat from Algeria carrying 17 migrants, while the other two skippered a boat carrying 23 people. All were of Algerian origin and included one minor.
According to a statement issued by the Balearic Islands Police Headquarters, both boats were located on 27 October, one 53 miles south and the other off the coast of Formentera. The boats, about six metres long, were equipped with Yamaha engines and, according to the investigation, were used as “smuggler taxis”. Investigators have confirmed that those arrested had previous experience in carrying out this type of migrant crossing. For all these reasons, they were arrested as alleged perpetrators of a crime of aiding and abetting illegal immigration. The judicial authorities have ordered their provisional detention.