Spain's Civil Guard and National Police, in coordination with Europol and police from France, Portugal, and Poland, have dismantled one of the largest criminal networks trafficking humans, drugs, and illegal weapons in the Western Mediterranean.
The operation, launched in 2023, culminated in a coordinated crackdown on June 16, according to a Europol statement released on Friday (June 17). As a result, 78 suspects were arrested, including 77 in Spain and one in Algeria, among them three high-value targets. Most are Algerian nationals linked to criminal gangs in France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Poland.
Officials said the network operated at least 64 human smuggling operations, bringing more than 2,000 people into Spain and generating over 24 million euros (about $27 million) in illicit profits. They charged up to 12,000 euros ($13,800) per migrant and packed as many as 50 people onto a single speedboat.
Officials described the sea crossings as extremely dangerous, with migrants crammed onto overloaded boats speeding through rough waters, often without lights or life jackets. In some cases, passengers were tied down to prevent them from falling overboard. Authorities said the organization used particular violence against migrants, its own members, and police.
During the operation, authorities searched 17 locations in Spain, including Alicante, Almeria, Cartagena, and Murcia, seizing numerous assets, including 18 speedboats.
Spain's Civil Guard said the operation had “successfully dismantled one of the most complex, active, and dangerous transnational criminal networks ever detected in the Mediterranean.”
The network was described as operating like a logistics company for criminal organizations, running two-way smuggling routes between Europe and Algeria. They shipped synthetic drugs southward and brought migrants north to Spain's southeastern coast and the island of Ibiza. Additionally, they provided a range of services to other criminal outfits, including vessel storage, transport, refueling, maritime transshipment, boat maintenance, and anti-surveillance measures.
Notably, the network moved money through the informal hawala system, making it difficult for investigators to trace illicit financial flows. The announcement came a week after a massive influx of migrants into Ceuta, Spain's North African enclave, drew international attention to migration pressures in the region.
