Spanish-Led Operation Dismantles Major Mediterranean Smuggling Ring

An international police operation coordinated by Spanish authorities has dismantled one of the largest criminal networks specializing in maritime human trafficking in the Mediterranean, according to Europol and Spain's Civil Guard. The announcement came on Friday, a week after tens of thousands of migrants surged into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, highlighting the ongoing pressures of irregular migration to Spain.

The network operated a two-way smuggling route between Algeria and Spain, transporting drugs to Africa and returning with migrants crammed into boats bound for Spanish coastal towns. Europol said the group provided storage, transport, refueling, maritime transfers, vessel maintenance, and counter-surveillance services for other smuggling gangs.

The operation, launched in 2023, involved Spain's Civil Guard and National Police, along with law enforcement from France, Poland, and Portugal, with support from Europol. An "action day" on June 16 led to 77 arrests in Spain and one in Algeria, and the seizure of 18 motorboats, including high-speed vessels, drugs, satellite phones, a handgun, and more than 25,000 euros in cash.

Spanish authorities said the network is believed to be responsible for at least 64 migration operations, smuggling over 2,000 migrants into Spain and generating profits exceeding 24 million euros. Four alleged leaders were among those arrested. The Civil Guard noted that the group used "extremely violent methods" to protect their vessels and resist law enforcement.

Europol described the fleet as including "ghost speedboats," vessels designed to avoid registration and detection, which are prohibited in Spain. Investigators also suspect that those involved in migrant smuggling committed sexual assaults, physical abuse, and subjected migrants to inhuman conditions in makeshift housing.