‘People smugglers’ arrested as Moroccan migrants caught trying to enter Spain on jet ski after 60k breached Ceuta border

A SUSPECTED trafficker has been arrested after trying to smuggle migrants from North Africa into Spain on jet skis. Another alleged criminal was captured while piloting a speedboat with 11 Moroccan nationals. The Spanish enclave has been flooded with migrants Credit: Reuters Spanish Civil Guard are cracking down on illegal human traffickers Credit: AFP The migrants aboard the high-speed vessels reportedly entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco alongside 60,000 others earlier in the week. Now, the suspected people smugglers had been trying to sneak migrants across the 11-mile stretch from Ceuta into Spain. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Making the journey between Ceuta and Spain on a jet ski takes between 30 and 45 minutes. Cops have previously broken up gangs using jet skis to smuggle people and discovered that they charge nearly £3,500 per migrant. The Spanish Civil Guard intercepted the journey and seized the speedboat, towing it back to port in Ceuta. The captain of the motorboat is under the age of 18, according to local residents. The nationalities of the two suspects have not been made public and it is not clear if they are in jail or have been released on bail. Officials say up to 60,000 migrants flooded into Ceuta – a city with a population of 84,000 – across Thursday and Friday. Most read in The Sun Migrants appeared on the beaches of Ceuta in swimming costumes Credit: AFP People on inflatable dingies breaching the borders of the Spanish enclave Credit: AFP Terrified locals cowered in their homes as the streets turned into open toilets in “apocalyptic” scenes. One Spanish business owner told RTVE: “He said authorities had “no capacity” to control the chaos and that migrants are now bathing in public fountains and sleeping in the streets. “It’s like an apocalypse. Waves of people everywhere.” At least 72 people were killed in the surge, many drowning. Others were crushed to death in a terrifying stampede near a beach border crossing. Thousands of children are thought to among the huge crowds. Most swam around the border from Morocco after seeing social media posts claiming they would be offered Spanish citizenship if they made it to Ceuta. Other migrants clung to the backs of trucks as they breached the borders of the Spanish enclave. The sudden surge to the Spanish enclave has sparked warnings of increased illegal migration into the UK. Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel has claimed some of those who made it into Ceuta would “inevitable try to make their way to the UK.” Reform leader Nigel Farage reacted to the border crisis by warning: “Thousands of young men, lots of them dangerous, will be heading towards Calais and our country. It’s time to wake up. This is a battle for our civilization.” More than 49,000 people have returned to Morocco, said Spanish officials. Comment now