The underground economy has emerged in the world of boats, cayucos and inflatable boats in destinations such as Arguineguín. Despite the attempts of Customs and the Civil Guard to stop these operations, achieving this has not been entirely possible.. “These are taken by the Civil Guard, in theory to guard them or destroy them. Well, and the friends of others. You know, don't make me talk too much,” says a veteran professional fisherman in the area, who notices a detail with that ambiguity typical of the islanders.. They know a lot and seem just the opposite..

“Let's see, these things, people in schools don't explain it and you call me as if I were new to this, those engines do not have a European numerical registration and if someone decides to use a zodiac for something that is not legal, you understand what I mean, If you have to leave it adrift due to a mistake, there are fewer clues to be related.”. We must not forget that in 2022 in Mogán the National Police found a Mexican drug laboratory and a real protagonist of a Netflix series appeared on the packages as a logo.

The Civil Guard in Mogán has many more things to do than monitoring the engines of the canoes. It must control the arrival of 1 million tourists to the hotel sector in this municipality alone. That is, 8.6 million nights sold. Many of these tourists get lost while swimming, or end up in bad shape while hiking.. In addition to the cayucos, the Civil Guard in Mogán monitors 156 hotel establishments and 34,132 tourist beds that are offered.

Those who are dedicated to the engines are attentive to the procedure for destroying canoes and boats that arrive at the islands, in order to keep the loot.. Legally, these assets are property of the State, but the procedural economy of informality plunders this asset that is not reused because it would have to be put up for auction after the boss's trial, for example.. Ultimately, it is evidence of a crime.. There are cases where engines have returned to Senegal as machinery export.

The engines of the canoes that arrive in Mogán are a source of attention and in the Arguineguín Fishermen's Guild they have identified those who know how to overcome the control barriers to get hold of the engines. In 2021, the Civil Guard and AEAT put an end to a network that falsified engine papers to export them to Senegal and one of the alleged defendants was a port employee.. Canarian Coalition (CC) in Mogán has asked Maritime Rescue to take the canoes, boats and zodiac that arrive to the municipality on state land, but without any result.

In 2017, the National Maritime Training School of Senegal purchased 20,000 engines for the 20,000 artisanal canoes that exist in Senegal.. There it is customary not to use them second-hand, out of superstition.. 97% of the canoes are motorized, and 53% use a 15 horsepower motor. The annual cost of the cayuco fishing license amounts to 450 euros and 1,000 euros for a purse seine unit.. That is to say: the engines that are arriving to the islands are not close to their planned obsolescence, and their reuse has an outlet among young people who want to establish themselves on their own..

The needs of cayuco license owners are broad: the majority of fishermen (63%) are married. 43% have more than 9 children. 62% have attended a Koranic school. 94% would not have received any training in fishing. In 2021 was the last time it was known that the Civil Guard and Customs Surveillance (AEAT) of Las Palmas put an end to a network that was accused of stealing up to 208 motors from boats and canoes.. They all arrived in 2020 at the Arguineguín dock (Gran Canaria), and the idea was to then sell them to Senegalese buyers with the help of false customs documentation.. It was in the year of the coronavirus. That is, when confinement generated a climate of adversity and social rejection of foreigners in Mogán.

Immigrants had to be housed in hotels and apartment complexes. The crimes charged to those who steal engines in 2023 are the same as in the past. Although apparently they are doing a favor to the State, by promoting the recycling of machinery against the Public Administration and the rights of foreign citizens, membership in a criminal group, smuggling, misappropriation, reception, document falsification and simulation of a crime.. In a first container from Las Palmas there were 52 engines with identical characteristics to those used by the canoes from African countries, from which the migratory route that leads to the Canary Islands begins..

This discovery led the Civil Guard to relate their illicit origin to a complaint filed at the Benemérita barracks in Puerto Rico, in which it was stated that unknown perpetrators had stolen nearly 100 outboard motors belonging to boats, in addition to 30 fuel bottles and an inflatable boat. The investigation opened to clarify this complaint made it possible to verify that its author, together with another employee of the company responsible for the Arguineguín dock, assisted by a resident of Santa Lucía de Tirajana, transported outboard motors stored in the port area to an external, unrelated warehouse. to the enterprise. The police efforts confirmed that the seller of these engines was the romantic partner of the resident of Santa Lucía de Tirajana.. This woman is responsible for having sold 208 engines to citizens, mostly of Senegalese origin, with the help of some exporters.