Spanish police arrest 78 people in bust of 'one of largest' smuggling networks

Spanish law enforcement officials have apprehended 78 individuals in connection with the dismantling of what authorities describe as "one of the largest" smuggling operations in the western Mediterranean. Europol released video footage of the operation, which included police dogs inspecting vehicles.

The extensive criminal network, involved in drug and human trafficking, has been dismantled following arrests in Spain and Algeria. Europol indicated that the group is also implicated in other illicit activities, such as "violent robberies, extortion, illegal detentions, and money laundering."

The organization transported synthetic drugs from Spain and Portugal to Algeria. On their return journeys, they utilized "ghost speedboats" to smuggle migrants and weapons to mainland Spain and the island of Ibiza.

Among the items confiscated were 18 high-speed vessels, valued at €5 million (£4.2 million), firearms, over €25,000 (£21,400) in cash, and 15,000 MDMA pills.

The operation, spearheaded by Spanish police, involved searches at 17 locations across Spain, including Alicante, Almería, Cartagena, and Murcia.

Europol stated that the group had "evolved from drug trafficking into a dual-flow criminal enterprise designed to maximise profits," with outbound routes from Spain and Portugal to Algeria.

"The smuggling focused on synthetic drugs (such as MDMA), firearms, and explosives. Along routine routes from Algeria to Spain, the group smuggled migrants, charging up to €12,000 (£10,200) per person," Europol's statement detailed. "In just one trip, over 50 migrants could be smuggled. All in all, profits from migrant smuggling alone are estimated to be more than €24 million (£20 million)."

The network also offered services to other organized crime groups, "facilitating the movement of illicit goods and people across the Western Mediterranean."

"Investigators believe the network coordinated multiple trafficking flows. Synthetic drugs, and sometimes people, were moved from France and Spain to Algeria, while cannabis resin, weapons, and migrants were transported from Algeria to Spain."

The group frequently employed a fleet of high-powered speedboats for rapid maritime operations, including "ghost speedboats" designed to evade registration and detection, which are prohibited in Spain.

"The group used these boats to organise transfers in international waters near the Spanish coastline," Europol explained. "Once the cargo or migrants were handed over at sea, other network members arranged onward transport by land. Migrants were often carried in overcrowded boats without lighting or life jackets, frequently under extreme weather conditions. Investigators believe suspects perpetrated sexual assaults, physical abuse, and placed migrants in inhuman conditions in makeshift housing."

The suspects were primarily of Algerian descent and had connections to criminal organizations in France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Poland.

Additional items seized during the police operation included satellite phones, GPS devices, encrypted communication tools, and satellite dishes.

This announcement follows a week after approximately 78,000 migrants entered the Spanish North African territory of Ceuta, an influx attributed to online rumors of an open border. While most migrants have since returned to Morocco, between 3,000 and 5,000 remain in the territory, according to Juan Jesús Vivas, the leader of the exclave.