Key facts
- Spanish police dismantled a large transnational criminal network in the Mediterranean.
- The network is believed to have smuggled over 2,000 migrants into Spain.
- The group also used high-speed boats to transport synthetic drugs from Spain to Algeria.
- Authorities seized 18 high-speed vessels and arrested 77 people in Spain and one in Algeria.
- The network generated profits of €24 million ($27 million) and charged up to €12,000 per migrant.
Spanish police, in collaboration with Europol and law enforcement agencies from France, Portugal, and Poland, have dismantled a major transnational criminal network operating in the western Mediterranean. The group is believed to have smuggled over 2,000 migrants into Spain and also engaged in drug trafficking, violent robberies, extortion, and money laundering.
The network utilized high-speed 'ghost speedboats' to transport synthetic drugs from Spain and Portugal to Algeria, and on return journeys, smuggled migrants and weapons to the Spanish mainland and Ibiza. Europol stated that the network generated an estimated €24 million ($27 million) from migrant smuggling alone, charging up to €12,000 per person, with some trips carrying over 50 migrants.
The operation, which involved searches in 17 locations across Spain and one in Algeria, resulted in 78 arrests. Authorities seized 18 high-speed vessels valued at €5 million, guns, over €25,000 in cash, and 15,000 MDMA pills. Migrants were often transported in dangerous conditions without safety equipment.
Investigators believe the network facilitated trafficking flows for other organized crime groups, moving synthetic drugs, firearms, and explosives from Europe to Algeria, and cannabis resin, weapons, and migrants from Algeria to Spain. The suspects are primarily of Algerian origin and have connections to criminal groups in several European countries.