Spanish authorities reported the dismantling of one of the largest and most dangerous transnational criminal networks involved in the illegal smuggling of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Civil Guard and the National Police, the organization is believed to have brought more than 2,000 people into Spain.
“The Civil Guard and the National Police… have successfully dismantled one of the most complex, active and dangerous transnational criminal networks detected to date in the Mediterranean,” the Spanish Civil Guard said in a statement.
The operation, carried out jointly with Europol as well as police forces from France, Portugal and Poland, resulted in the arrest of 78 people (77 in Spain and one in Algeria). Among those detained were four alleged leaders of the network. Twenty-seven people have been placed in pre-trial detention.
The criminal group used high-speed boats for two-way smuggling: synthetic drugs (including MDMA) were transported from Spain to Algeria, while on the return journey migrants were taken to Spain’s south-eastern coast and the island of Ibiza. Investigators documented at least 64 such operations. The organization charged up to €12,000 per person transported and is estimated to have made more than €24 million in profits.
Police seized 18 high-speed boats valued at over €5 million, as well as weapons, drugs, satellite phones and cash. The crossings were described as extremely dangerous: the boats were often overcrowded (with up to 50 people), travelling at high speed in rough weather conditions, frequently without life jackets or lights.