The Provincial Court of Las Palmas is processing the opening of oral proceedings against three men of Senegalese nationality, identified as OD, MF and AB, for their alleged participation in a case of human trafficking and assaults on board a canoe that arrived in the south of Gran Canaria in May 2024.
According to the prosecution's indictment, on May 13, 2024, the maritime rescue vessel "Guardamar Talia" intercepted a small boat carrying 172 people of sub-Saharan and Asian origin, who had been at sea for at least seven days. The vessel, captained by the defendants, lacked safety systems, life jackets, adequate space, and sanitary conditions, which seriously endangered the lives and well-being of the passengers.
During the journey, the accused allegedly coerced and beat one of the passengers for not parting with an amulet, causing multiple bruises, wounds and abrasions that required medical attention and took 15 days to heal, leaving minor aesthetic aftereffects.
The prosecution considers the acts to constitute a crime against the rights of foreign citizens (Articles 318 bis 1 and 318 bis 3 of the Criminal Code) and a crime of assault (Article 147.1 of the Criminal Code). It requests that each defendant be sentenced to eight years in prison for the crime of human trafficking, two years for assault, and the corresponding special disqualification from the right to passive suffrage for the duration of the sentence, in addition to the payment of court costs.
The defendants have been deprived of their liberty since May 22, 2024, and the oral trial will determine the final sentence and criminal responsibilities in this case that has highlighted the risks and precariousness of irregular crossings to the Canary Islands.
