Authorities have dismantled a major cross-border criminal network involved in the smuggling of drugs, weapons and migrants across the Western Mediterranean, arresting 78 suspects in a coordinated operation led by Spain with support from Europol.
According to Europol, the organisation operated as a logistics provider for organised crime groups, managing two-way maritime smuggling routes between Europe and Algeria.
The investigation, supported by law enforcement agencies from France, Portugal and Poland, found that the network offered services including boat storage, transport, refuelling, maintenance, maritime transfers and counter-surveillance to other criminal organisations.
Authorities arrested 78 suspects in Spain and Algeria, including three high-value targets, while conducting 17 searches across Spanish cities including Alicante, Almeria, Cartagena and Murcia.
Europol said the group consisted mainly of Algerian nationals with links to criminal networks operating in France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy and Poland.
Investigators also uncovered a fleet of high-powered vessels, including banned “ghost speedboats,” which were allegedly used to transport drugs, weapons and migrants in international waters before quickly reaching the Spanish coast.
The agency said the organisation relied on violence, intimidation, firearms and contract killings to maintain control over its operations, while financial transactions were allegedly handled through the hawala system to conceal illicit profits.
According to Europol, the network expanded beyond drug trafficking into a broader criminal enterprise and charged migrants up to €12,000 (US$13,800) per person for crossings from Algeria to Spain.
Authorities estimate the group generated more than €24 million (US$27 million) from migrant smuggling alone, with migrants often transported in overcrowded, unlit boats without life jackets, even in severe weather conditions.