MADRID — Spanish-led police have dismantled what authorities described as one of the largest migrant smuggling networks operating in the western Mediterranean, arresting 78 suspects in a multinational operation targeting a criminal organization accused of transporting thousands of migrants between Algeria and Spain while also engaging in drug and weapons trafficking.
The operation, coordinated by Spain's Guardia Civil with support from Europol and law enforcement agencies in France, Portugal and Poland, concluded with coordinated raids on June 16, Europol and Spanish authorities said on Friday. Of those arrested, 77 were detained in Spain and one in Algeria.
Investigators said the organization is believed to have carried out at least 64 maritime smuggling operations since the investigation began in 2023, facilitating the irregular entry of more than 2,000 migrants into Spain and generating criminal proceeds estimated at more than 24 million euros ($27.8 million). Those figures were provided by Europol and have not been independently verified.
Authorities said the network operated primarily along the sea route linking Algeria and Spain, using high-powered speedboats commonly referred to as "ghost boats." According to investigators, the same vessels were also used to transport narcotics, firearms and other illicit goods across the western Mediterranean, allowing the group to diversify its criminal activities.
During the coordinated raids, officers seized 18 boats, drugs, satellite telephones, a firearm and more than 25,000 euros in cash. Four suspected leaders of the organization were among those arrested, officials said.
Europol said intelligence analysts and operational specialists supported Spanish investigators throughout the inquiry, including on the day of the arrests, helping coordinate information exchanges among participating countries.
Spanish authorities alleged that migrants transported by the network were often subjected to dangerous sea crossings in overcrowded boats and, in some cases, physical and sexual abuse. Those allegations were attributed to investigators and have not been tested in court.
The operation comes as European authorities continue to intensify efforts against organized migrant smuggling networks operating across the Mediterranean, a key migration route into the European Union. Europol has expanded joint investigations involving multiple member states in response to increasingly sophisticated cross-border criminal groups engaged in migrant smuggling alongside other forms of organized crime.
Spanish authorities said judicial proceedings against those arrested are continuing, while investigators are pursuing additional inquiries into the network's financial operations and international connections.
