The recent arrest of seven people for skippering a fishing boat and three small boats with illegal immigrants bound for Ibiza reinforces the theory that the mafias use mother ships to facilitate the arrival of illegal immigrants to the Balearic Islands. A modus operandi that has been pointed out by maritime experts for years and which is now back at the center of the debate after a coordinated operation on the high seas was documented.
According to the National Police investigation, the organization used a fishing boat as the main vessel to cover a large part of the crossing from Algeria. A patera would have served as an auxiliary means for the final transfer, with the intention that the immigrants would reach the coast by their own means while the larger vessel returned to North Africa. The plan was thwarted by a breakdown and adverse weather conditions, which allowed the rescue of the occupants and police intervention.
This pattern coincides with episodes recorded throughout 2024 in Ibiza and Formentera, where there were landings that broke with the traditional pattern of small boats completing the entire journey from North Africa. In some cases, the speed of the landings and the type of vessel used fueled suspicions that the migrants would not have made the full crossing without logistical support.
Captains and experts consulted at the time by La Voz de Ibiza already warned of the technical difficulties of traveling more than 130 nautical miles in overloaded inflatable boats, with speed, fuel and stability limitations. The weight of the people on board, the autonomy of the engines and the visible absence of additional jerry cans reinforced the hypothesis of an intermediate aid at sea.
Until now, the official version of the authorities maintained that there was no conclusive evidence of the presence of mother ships on the Balearic route and that the surveillance systems had not detected this type of operation. However, the case of the fishing boat detained off Ibiza provides new elements by confirming the existence of a previous coordination between vessels with different functions within the same illegal immigration network.
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