Spanish police have arrested 78 people in the course of an operation that dismantled one of the largest smuggling networks on the Mediterranean. Europol confirmed that the arrests were made in Spain and Algeria, bringing an end to the operations of an organised criminal group that had developed a sophisticated two-way trade. The network emerged from drug trafficking, with its primary aim being to maximise profit through illegal activities on an international level.
The group organised the transport of synthetic drugs, including MDMA, from Spain and Portugal to Algeria. On the return journey, the same vessels were used to smuggle migrants and weapons to the Spanish mainland and the island of Ivica. The smuggling operations were conducted using 'ghost' fast boats, which made detection and the prevention of illegal border crossings more difficult. The cost of smuggling a single migrant was up to €12,000, with more than 50 migrants transported on a single trip.
18 high-speed vessels, valued at €5 million, were seized, along with weapons and €25,000 in cash. Police also discovered 15,000 tablets of MDMA. The estimated profit from migrant smuggling alone was over €24 million. The network was linked to a number of serious crimes, including armed robberies, extortion, unlawful detention and money laundering.
The operation was led by Spanish police, with raids conducted at 17 locations in Spain. The locations included Alicante, Almería, Cartagena and Murcia. Exit routes for the criminal network led from Spain and Portugal to Algeria, while return routes from Algeria to Spain focused on migrant smuggling. The group specialised in the transport of synthetic drugs, firearms and explosives, transforming from a simple drug distributor into a complex criminal enterprise.
