24 - 30 August 2017
Kidnap sex ring smashed A NIGERIAN human-trafficking gang has been smashed by Almeria police. Working with colleagues in Madrid, police rescued four victims of the gang and arrested five of its members. An investigation into the group’s activities was launched by National Police in Almeria. A house in Nijar was identified as a stepping stone used by traffickers to smuggle victims to Madrid. Police unravelled a network of kidnapping, trafficking and prostitution that destroyed the lives of countless victims and raked in millions for the gangsters. African women were either lured to Europe under false pretences, or simply beaten, captured and trafficked. Boats took them across the Mediterranean to Italy to safe houses.
COSTA DE ALMERÍA
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Dogs suffer horrific conditions
Seven deadly sins
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Migrant crisis escalates
Guardia Civil
ISSUE NO. 1677
CRISIS: Almeria on front lines of migrant struggle.
STARVED: All seven dogs were malnourished and carried disease. By Matthew Elliott Animal abuse charges have been brought against a Sorbas man who kept seven dangerous dogs in atrocious conditions. Guardia Civil officers raided the Sorbas farm after being tipped off by suspicious local residents. They found seven dogs of dangerous breeds requiring special permits. All of the animals were in obvious physical stress. They were unable to stand, badly malnourished and dehydrated. One Rottweiler with untreatable gangrene was later
put down by a vet. A Bullmastiff had a serious wound in its neck from being tied so tightly to a chain. Another crossed mastiff was on the verge of starvation and needed urgent medical attention. Only four of the dogs were microchipped and the other three had no vaccinations. The farm owner could not provide the proper paperwork or permits. The animals were kept behind fencing and separated from one another. This was to prevent them from fighting said the owner, but police
noted they could hardly move, let alone fight. Sanitary conditions were extremely poor and each dog was tied to a different part of the square enclosure. Within the perimeter there was untreated faeces, pools of urine, scraps of hair, empty paint cans, and bones, possibly from other dogs which perished at the farm. The owner has been reported to Almeria’s criminal court. But it is extremely unlikely that he will face any jail time. Fines for animal abuse can be as little as a few hundred euros.
HUNDREDS of people have been rescued drifting in Almeria’s waters in recent days. The dozens of rescue operations come as the United Nation’s refugee agency warned that Spain lacks the capacity to deal with the crisis. In the middle of the Alboran Sea roughly 200 adults, including just 14 women were rescued by maritime agents and brought to Almeria Port. Just 15 miles south of the Cabo de Gata beaches, 21 men, a woman and her baby were saved by a Guardia Civil plane from their stranded vessel. In another incident 25 people were found aboard a fishing boat 24 miles south west of the Cabo de Gata coast. Dozens of other small rafts and boats carrying five to 10 people were spotted by coastguards. The Red Cross and police in Almeria have frequently decried the situation as untenable and warned they lack the capacity to handle arrivals at this rate. A report from the UN published last week agrees. Spain has suffered as authorities crack down on the Libya to Italy route. Almost 10,000 migrants have reached the Spanish shore in 2017 so far.