Spanish police, in coordination with Europol, arrested 78 individuals in Spain and Algeria on August 7, 2026, dismantling one of the largest criminal networks smuggling drugs and people across the western Mediterranean.

The network trafficked synthetic drugs, including 15,000 MDMA pills, firearms, and explosives from Spain and Portugal to Algeria. On the return journey, they smuggled migrants and weapons to the Spanish mainland and Ibiza using "ghost speedboats." Authorities seized 18 high-speed vessels valued at €5 million (£4.2 million), guns, and over €25,000 (£21,400) in cash.

Europol described the group as having "evolved from drug trafficking into a duel-flow criminal enterprise designed to maximise profits," operating outbound routes from Spain and Portugal to Algeria. Along routine routes from Algeria to Spain, migrants were smuggled at fees up to €12,000 (£10,200) per person. In a single trip, over 50 migrants could be transported, with estimated profits from migrant smuggling exceeding €24 million (£20 million).

The operation involved searches in 17 Spanish locations, including Alicante, Almería, Cartagena, and Murcia. Europol also linked the network to other crimes such as violent robberies, extortion, illegal detentions, and money laundering.

This bust follows a recent influx of roughly 78,000 migrants into the Spanish North African territory of Ceuta, attributed to online rumors of an open border. While most migrants returned to Morocco, between 3,000 and 5,000 remain in Ceuta, according to the territory's leader Juan Jesús Vivas.

Sources