CNI report reveals pre-invasion call with Ceuta government official about Morocco deal
A CNI briefing to Judge María Tardón disclosed an eleven-minute call between an intelligence agent and Gonzalo Sanz, the chief of staff to Ceuta’s government delegate, in which a possible Morocco agreement was discussed before the Ceuta incursion.
In a document sent to Judge María Tardón, the CNI detailed an eleven-minute telephone exchange between a CNI operative and Gonzalo Sanz, the chief of staff to the Ceuta government delegate, occurring shortly before the city’s invasion. The agent warned of a potential migration wave exceeding previous crises and noted that the situation remained highly worrisome. Sanz reported that a deal with Morocco had been reached to return migrants entering Ceuta, though he could not specify the method or location of such expulsions.
He also acknowledged that the planned Level 3 contingency declared by Civil Protection was an imperfect but necessary response. The report indicates that the intelligence was also shared with Moroccan services, who were aware of the possible forced entry’s scope and timing.
Why it matters
It shows how Spanish authorities were warned of a major migration surge and discussed a Morocco deal before the Ceuta incursion.
How this story developed
- Aug 21 Spanish police detain five suspected migrant smugglers operating from Ceuta
- Sep 27 Ceuta residents marched demanding stronger border controls and an end to sexual assaults.
- Sep 28 Frontex added that the western Mediterranean corridor recorded a 34% rise.
- Oct 1 etc
- Oct 7 King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will invite civil-society groups from Ceuta and Melilla to the traditional reception at the Royal Palace.
- Oct 12 Moroccan naval vessels entered Spanish territorial waters around Ceuta while large numbers of migrants crossed the land border, prompting a Spanish naval response.
- Oct 13 The royals have begun an overnight stay in Ceuta as part of their extended visit.
- Oct 13 Santa María was replaced by the frigate Navarra after a mechanical failure.
- Oct 13 EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Pedro Sánchez's government to swiftly send irregular migrants who entered Ceuta back to Morocco, and pledged EU support for the removals.
- Oct 13 Police and the army cleared the Guano informal migrant settlement in Ceuta’s northern bay days before the royal visit.
- Oct 14 The royal couple travelled from Ceuta to Melilla, where they were presented with the city’s golden key and toured a bilingual school with an autism classroom.
- Oct 15 Feijóo filed a popular accusation with the Audiencia Nacional over the Moroccan ships' entry.
- Oct 15 In his Melilla speech the king emphasized the city’s status as part of the EU’s external border.
- Oct 16 Sánchez arrived in Brussels for the European Council where Merz and Mitsotakis plan to confront him.
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