Mediterranean smuggling network ‘dismantled’ in Spain-led raid, 78 arrested

Authorities, led by Spain's Civil Guard and National Police in collaboration with Europol and police from France, Portugal, and Poland, have dismantled a major criminal network involved in migrant smuggling, illegal drugs, and weapons trafficking across the Western Mediterranean. The operation, which concluded on June 16, resulted in 78 arrests, including three high-value targets, with 77 detained in Spain and one in Algeria. The network facilitated extremely dangerous crossings, cramming migrants into overcrowded boats and employing violence against passengers, members, and law enforcement. This action dismantled what officials described as one of the most complex and dangerous transnational criminal networks detected in the Mediterranean to date.

Spanish police, with Europol's involvement, have dismantled a large criminal network operating in the western Mediterranean. The operation resulted in the arrest of 78 individuals in Spain and Algeria. This network was involved in a dual-flow smuggling operation, moving synthetic drugs like MDMA from Spain and Portugal to Algeria, and then using return journeys to smuggle migrants and weapons to Spain and Ibiza via high-speed boats. Authorities estimate profits from migrant smuggling alone exceeded €24 million. The group was also linked to other criminal activities, including violent robberies and extortion. Seized items included 18 high-speed vessels, firearms, cash, and MDMA pills.

An international police operation, led by Spanish authorities and supported by Europol, has dismantled a large criminal network involved in trafficking migrants, drugs, and weapons across the Western Mediterranean. The operation resulted in 78 arrests, with 77 in Spain and one in Algeria, and the seizure of 18 motorboats, drugs, and cash. This network is described as one of the largest specializing in maritime human trafficking in the Mediterranean, facilitating storage, transport, and maritime transfers for other smuggling gangs. Authorities believe the group is responsible for smuggling over 2,000 migrants into Spain, generating profits exceeding 24 million euros, and employed violent methods, including sexual assaults and physical abuse of migrants. The operation, launched in 2023, involved law enforcement from Spain, France, Poland, and Portugal.

Spanish police, in collaboration with Ecuadorian authorities and overseen by Europol, have dismantled a significant cocaine smuggling ring. The multiyear investigation resulted in 44 arrests and the seizure of 21 tons of cocaine. The operation targeted a network financed by Dubai-based investors who were smuggling drugs from South America to Spain via shipping containers. Initial arrests occurred in March 2025, when Ecuadorian police detained 36 individuals and raided properties in Ecuador. Spanish police subsequently arrested eight more suspects and confiscated 1 million euros. The smugglers concealed the cocaine within commercial goods, primarily from the port of Guayaquil, often hidden among shipments of bananas.