The Sixth Section of the Provincial Court of Las Palmas will judge next Tuesday, July 23 in Lanzarote five defendants accused of trafficking people arriving in pateras to Lanzarote to whom they offered the possibility of leaving the Canary Islands and continuing their migratory journey in exchange for money. The alleged events would have occurred between September 2019 and November 2020.
The Public Prosecutor's Office argues that the five defendants are part of "a criminal organization" that was dedicated to the "illegal trafficking of people." They are accused of "collecting, housing, maintaining and providing" the necessary documents to migrants arriving in pateras to Lanzarote so that they could continue their journey to the Iberian Peninsula or other countries in exchange for various amounts of money.
The indictment is addressed to three citizens of Morocco and two Spaniards. Thus, it places the defendant Z.K., a native of the Alaoui country but settled in Spain, and H.J., also head of the group, as the head of the alleged plot. As assistants to these tasks, it places the defendants Y.G.G. and Y.B.G, in charge of housing the migrants in their homes or in Z.K.'s home; and M.K., who was allegedly responsible for transfers to the airport.
Their arrests were carried out after a joint investigation by the Immigration and Borders Brigade of the National Police and the Investigation Brigade of Networks Group XIII.
The Public Prosecutor's Office states that the defendants Z.K. and Y.G.G. allegedly charged "various amounts of money" to the relatives of the migrants and with the help of M.K. they transferred them to the César Manrique Airport between October 6 and November 9, 2020. Once at the aerodrome, they traveled on different flights of low-cost airlines outside the archipelago.
According to the public accusation, Z.K. and his wife Y.G.G. housed them in their home while waiting for the necessary documentation to arrive, allegedly after receiving payment of the money demanded from their relatives. Thus, he adds that these amounts were "claimed by the defendants" and "were deposited in accounts of the defendants themselves, through payments made by Western Union."
The Prosecutor's Office requests the provisional dismissal and the filing of the proceedings for two of the defendants K.K. and M.B. as their participation in the events has not been proven.
For the alleged leaders of the plot Z.K. and H.J. he requests nine years in prison and special disqualification for the right to passive suffrage during the term of the sentence, as well as the payment of costs for crimes against the rights of foreign citizens.
In addition, for the defendants Y.G.G., Y.B. and M.K. he asks for five years and nine months in prison and special disqualification during the term of the sentence, as well as the payment of costs.
