A serial migrant smuggler sat down for an exclusive interview with El Español to reveal all about the art of trafficking illegal migrants from the African mainland to the Canary Islands, detailing the lucrative sums he receives and how he evades the authorities.
Ely, a notorious Mauritanian sailor who has captained four successful migrant crossings to the Canary Islands, told the news outlet he operates out of Nouadhibou, Mauritania, describing himself as a skilled navigator rather than a trafficker.
“I’m a sailor. I know how to navigate. If boats don’t make it, it’s because those in charge don’t know what they’re doing,” he said. He claimed to have completed four voyages without any casualties, a rare feat in the perilous migrant route.
According to Ely, he earns between €3,000 and €6,500 per trip, depending on the demand. “It’s simple economics — supply and demand. Right now, there aren’t many captains available. Just the other day, I was offered €7,000 for a trip, but I didn’t take it because my mother is sick.”
He contrasted this with the humble potential earnings from fishing, which he said would take him almost three years to match what he makes in one migrant trip that can be over and done within 72 hours.
“I don’t use GPS, just a compass and the stars. If you know what you’re doing, you arrive. If not, you get lost in the Atlantic,” he told the site. To evade patrols, he initially steers towards America before cutting back towards the Canary Islands, using marine currents to his advantage.
Ely also described the economics of the operation. Migrants pay between €1,000 and €3,000 for a seat, with those who can afford more securing safer spots. A typical migrant boat carries between 60 and 90 people, though overcrowding often leads to capsizing. “Once, they brought me a boat with 120 people. I refused. It was too dangerous,” he said
Controlling passengers is another challenge. “The hardest part is keeping people calm. If they panic and all move to one side, the boat sinks.” He explained how he travels with two trusted crew members to maintain order during the journey, but admitted that at times of adverse weather conditions, this can be difficult. “If the sea gets rough, we just pray.”
Once in Spanish waters, migrants are instructed to deny knowing who captained the boat. “We all move away from the engine and say we all drove it,” Ely said, a trick to avoiding prosecution in Spain for facilitating illegal immigration which can land the captain up to eight years in prison.
Despite being detained multiple times in Spain, Ely has nearly always been deported rather than imprisoned, and always at the taxpayers’ expense. “The Spanish authorities know who I am. But each time, they just send me back to Mauritania. And they pay for my flight!”
He recounted an incident where a Mauritanian officer in Tenerife recognized him but allowed him to return home. On another occasion, he spent time in Las Palmas prison before being deported.
For now, Ely says he is taking a break from smuggling to care for his mother and daughters. “I earn little, but it’s enough for them.”
He initially claims that he has no plans to migrate permanently and insists that should he do so, it would be by legal means. “If I leave, it will be with a visa. Maybe to America — I’d know how to navigate there.”
However, off the record, he admitted he might attempt one last crossing — this time for himself. “If I go again, it will be to stay. I hope my friends in Spain like this interview. I don’t want any trouble when I return!”
Read the full interview here.
Migrant smuggler speaks out: ‘I make €6,000 per trip and Spain pays for my flight home’