Overview
- An international probe led by Spain and coordinated by Europol culminated in an action day on June 16 that produced 78 arrests and the seizure of 18 motorboats, drugs, satellite phones, a handgun and more than €25,000 in cash.
- Investigators say the group ran a two‑way route that shipped drugs and weapons toward Algeria and loaded overcrowded boats with migrants bound for Spanish coasts, and they allege the organisation carried out at least 64 smuggling operations moving more than 2,000 people.
- Authorities report the network used specialised ‘ghost’ speedboats built to avoid registration, charged migrants up to €12,000 per crossing, and sometimes forced occupants into unsafe, tied or overcrowded conditions.
- Europol and Spanish police say suspects committed extreme violence and alleged sexual and physical abuse while holding migrants in makeshift, inhuman housing, and four alleged leaders are among those detained as investigations and likely prosecutions continue.
- Law enforcement officials warn the takedown exposes how maritime smuggling has become professionalised and profitable, and they say the operation could affect EU border security and the routes criminal groups use after a recent migration surge linked to Ceuta.