Migrants who illegally surged into Ceuta last month are being offered a €9,000 ‘ticket’ to mainland Spain by human-trafficking gangs, it has emerged.

According to the Policia Nacional, the first such journeys were detected on August 14, when seven people arrived by boat to El Burgo beach in La Linea de la Concepcion, Cadiz.

Officers spotted the small group shortly after 4am after they had disembarked from a boat in poor condition.

Police established that they had travelled from Ceuta, apparently becoming some of the first confirmed cases of migrants from the July 30 mass border crossing being clandestinely transported to the Spanish mainland.

The seven passengers had reportedly travelled around 40km before boarding the vessel and paid €8,000 for the crossing.

They were then crammed aboard a boat measuring just five metres long and two metres wide, without life jackets.

During the journey they were left adrift in the Strait of Gibraltar amid thick fog, according to statements given to investigators.

The conditions severely hampered navigation and would also have made it much harder for other vessels to spot them if they had needed rescuing.

The alleged skipper was subsequently arrested and remanded in custody on suspicion of an offence against the rights of foreign citizens.

Investigators are also examining potential aggravating circumstances relating to financial gain, the particular vulnerability of the passengers and the danger posed to their lives and health.

Up to €9,000 for Ceuta-to-Cadiz crossings

A second police investigation has uncovered what authorities believe was a more organised operation moving migrants between Ceuta and La Linea.

Four suspects were arrested in that investigation, two in Ceuta and two in Cadiz.

Police believe the group charged migrants as much as €9,000 each to be transported clandestinely to mainland Spain.

Experienced boat pilots were allegedly used to navigate the Strait while avoiding police surveillance.

Before making the crossing, migrants were kept in homes, garages and other properties in Ceuta until smugglers decided it was safe to move them.

Support vehicles were allegedly used to transport them discreetly to rendezvous points while attempting to avoid areas under police surveillance.

Boats would then arrive from mainland Spain, collect the passengers and make the return journey across the Strait.

Once they reached the Cadiz coast, other members of the organisation received the migrants and helped disperse them.

Investigators later located one of the speedboats allegedly used by the network grounded on rocks near Benzu in Ceuta.

The Strait is only around 14km wide at its narrowest point, but its powerful currents, heavy maritime traffic and rapidly changing weather can make crossings in unsuitable vessels extremely dangerous.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.