Horror in Spain. Spanish police have arrested three people accused of throwing migrants into the sea, resulting in five of them drowning, off Cadiz last November.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, two men and a woman were arrested in the Algeciras area on the charge of forcing the migrants, threatening them with a knife, to jump into the sea. in a place with strong currents, although they knew that many of them did not know how to swim.

It is also believed that the three suspects are members of a criminal organization.

Footage posted on social media last November showed an inflatable circling amid rough seas and some they ride in it pushing others into the sea. Police, who made the arrests after spotting the boat, said they were on board at least 37 migrants, who had paid between 3,000 and 12,000 euros each to be transported from Kenitra, Morocco to Cádiz. Although not far from Morocco, Cádiz is not a common destination for migrants because the sea is often rough in this area of ​​the Atlantic. In addition, vessels can be easily spotted due to its proximity to Gibraltar, which is closely monitored.

The number of migrants who arrived in Spain by boat in the first two months of the year it quadrupled (13,485) compared to the corresponding period last year. According to human rights group Walking Borders, 6,618 people died at sea trying to reach Spain in 2023.