Illegal emigration: 32 Moroccans intercepted southern Spain

Spanish authorities intercepted Tuesday offshore Tarifa (southern Spain) a makeshift boat carrying 32 Moroccan illegal emigrants who were trying to clandestinely enter the country, said official sources.

The dinghy was intercepted a mile from the shores of Tarifa by surveillance radars that were deployed in southern Spain to combat illegal emigration.

The illegal emigrants will be repatriated to Morocco.

Thousands of Moroccans and Africans attempt every year to cross illegally to Europe seeking better opportunities.

Morocco and Spain have been closely cooperating to crack down on this phenomenon. Rabat aborted in 2004 over 26,000 attempts of illegal emigration. Some 423 human smuggling networks were dismantled in the same year.