MOROCCAN MAFIA BAGS UP TO €160 MILLION FROM ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRADE TO SPAIN
THE Moroccan Mafia has supposedly netted a whopping €160
million in the trade of illegal immigrants in the past three years, according
to recent studies.
The European Border Agency (Frontex), released its annual
risk analysis report highlighting the huge increase since 2017 in the number of
immigrants reaching Spanish shores.
In 2017, it was estimated that human traffickers earned around
€35 million, which then sky rocketed to €105 million in 2018 before dropping
significantly to €19 million in 2019.
The majority of immigrants landing on Spanish soil originate
from Morocco and Algeria, with facilitator networks pocketing up to €3,000 per
person.
According to internal sources, the higher prices depend on
the difficulty of the crossing in terms of coastal patrols and severity of the
conditions.
The increase in revenue in 2018 was sparked by the shifting
of origin of refugees from Libya to Morocco due to the Italian government’s
decision to close all ports to immigrant vessels.
The EU’s scheme to also train the Libyan military as
coastguards also paid off and made the crossing to Spain via Italy too risky.
This pushed the primary route to Spain eastward to Morocco,
leading to Moroccan networks spotting a huge business opportunity.
Spain’s government and the EU have put pressure on Moroccan
traffickers in recent years, increasing border controls and agreeing to a €140
million donation in exchange for tighter regulations.
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