A total of 493 migrants reached Lanzarote in Spain’s Canary Islands over the past three days after departing from Morocco’s southern Atlantic coast, particularly the Guelmim-Oued Noun region, Hespress sources said.
The migrants, including Moroccans and nationals of several sub-Saharan African countries, arrived between Thursday and Sunday aboard six inflatable boats that departed from coastal areas in the provinces of Tan-Tan and Guelmim.
According to information obtained by Hespress, three boats departed from Tan-Tan province. The first carried 123 migrants of Moroccan and other African nationalities, while the second transported 83 people from sub-Saharan African countries. The third boat left the coastal area of Akhfennir in broad daylight carrying 60 Moroccan migrants.
Three other boats departed from the White Beach area near Guelmim. One carried 78 migrants from sub-Saharan African countries, while another transported 53 Moroccans and sub-Saharan Africans.
The sixth boat, carrying 96 people of the same nationalities, was rescued on Sunday night after experiencing technical difficulties approximately 50 nautical miles from Lanzarote.
Women and children, including minors, were among those aboard the boats, according to the information provided to Hespress.
The increase in departures from the Guelmim-Oued Noun coast coincided with the appointment of a new regional commander of Morocco’s Royal Gendarmerie in Guelmim. A similar pattern was reported along the coast of the Souss-Massa region in late September, when a new gendarmerie commander took office and six attempted migrant crossings using wooden boats were recorded along the coast north of Agadir.
Smuggling networks adapt their operations
According to information obtained by Hespress, members of criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking along the Souss and Oued Noun coasts are the subject of dozens of nationwide arrest warrants.
The sources said some suspected organisers had adapted their operations by relying on nationals of sub-Saharan African countries to transport migrants to departure points and steer boats across the Atlantic.
Those involved in these roles are frequently arrested and either deported to their countries of origin or detained pending trial on charges related to organising irregular migration, the sources said.
The alleged organisers, meanwhile, collect payments from prospective migrants directly or through intermediaries and associates. The amounts reportedly range from 30,000 to 45,000 Moroccan dirhams per person, depending on the departure point, equipment used and other factors affecting the cost of the journey.
The sources said the proceeds generated by these networks had allowed some members to accumulate substantial wealth, potentially contributing to the expansion of organised crime in the region. Many suspected organisers were still operating without having been apprehended, according to the same sources.
One notable arrest took place in mid-September, when Morocco’s General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), working with police in Laayoune, arrested a suspected major migrant-smuggling figure who was reportedly wanted under more than 40 arrest warrants. Around 30 of those warrants had been issued by the Royal Gendarmerie in Guelmim in connection with alleged human-trafficking offences.
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