The National Police has discovered three-story boat in Alicante where they hid immigrants arrived illegally by boat to whom they charged up to 600 euros per month for a room. In the operation, there are five men and one woman detained – all of Algerian nationality – who housed their compatriots and other people from Morocco in inhumane conditions: they slept on the floor even on the balcony.
As a result of the agents’ investigations, they have dismantled these three homes in the North Zone of the city where they operated independently to temporarily hide these people who had recently arrived on the Spanish coast in boats who docked in unauthorized places, as reported by the Headquarters in a statement.
Some of the immigrants detected during the operation
During the investigation, these accommodations were inspected, which were in poor condition and showed evidence of needing renovations for habitability. Some lacked thermal insulation, a serious problem during high summer temperatures. They had three bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom and a kitchen, but they were occupied with numerous beds, mattresses in it flooras well as shoes, suitcases and scattered clothing.
The migrants only they had right to sleep in these homes, without access to private rooms or exclusive bathrooms. On one of the floors, a migrant was even found sleeping on the floor of a balconycovered with blankets.
Migrants paid between 10 and 20 euros per night to stay in these homes. In some cases, the monthly rent for a bed reached between 300 and 600 euros. At the time of the police intervention, 17 people were found occupying these homes. The National Police learned that this activity was the only source of income for several of the detainees.
Those arrested are between 22 and 57 years old, and only one was in a regular situation in Spain, while two others had a record of other crimes. They are being investigated as alleged perpetrators of a crime of favoring to the illegal immigration.
A National Police agent inspects one of the three patera apartments in Alicante
The actions have been brought to the attention of the Alicante Court of Investigation, which will carry out the corresponding procedures based on the facts investigated.
The National Police have recalled that article 318 bis.2 of the Penal Code punishes those who help foreigners in an irregular situation so that they can stay in Spain illegally, as long as they do so with profit purposes. This includes, for example, bad rental conditions or charges for unsafe places to live.
The law seeks to protect migrants who, due to their lack of protection, are sometimes forced to accept accommodation in poor conditions. People who take advantage of this situation can receive relatively high penalties of jail and finessince these actions are considered very serious and seek to prevent the most vulnerable from being exploited.
#discover #patera #apartments #immigrants #slept #floor #balcony #euros #room
