Man convicted after ferry boarding fraud attempt with migrant on motorbike

A man has been convicted after trying to board a ferry with a young migrant on his motorbike using another woman’s identity papers at the port of Ceuta, in a case police say was uncovered by a simple face check before the crossing to the mainland.

The pair were stopped on the night of 5 November at the passenger documentation control for ferries bound for Algeciras. The man presented his own ID, but the young woman he was carrying produced a Moroccan passport and a Spanish residence card in another person’s name.

A National Police officer attached to the port operation spotted the mismatch between the photograph on the documents and the passenger in front of him. A later fingerprint check confirmed the suspicion, according to the report on the case.

Convictions and penalties

The man was sentenced to eight months in prison for facilitating illegal immigration. That sentence was suspended for three years, on condition that he does not reoffend.

The woman was given a one-and-a-half-year prison term for document forgery, although that punishment was replaced by expulsion from Spain for five years.

Both were arrested and brought before a court on Saturday after the failed boarding attempt.

Identity fraud at the port

The case highlights a tactic used by some migrants trying to leave Ceuta by sea under another person’s identity. In this instance, officers said the woman was attempting to pose as the holder of the papers she carried, while the man appears to have helped her reach the boarding control by motorbike.

The documents were not reported stolen or lost, which further raised suspicions among the officers at the checkpoint. The case was then backed up by fingerprint verification before the pair were detained.

The incident comes as security forces continue daily checks at the port and elsewhere in the Strait to stop irregular crossings and fraudulent attempts to reach the mainland.