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

The group trafficked synthetic drugs such as MDMA, firearms, and explosives from Spain and Portugal to Algeria. On the return journey, they smuggled migrants and weapons to the Spanish mainland and the island of Ibiza using "ghost speedboats," according to Europol. The organization charged up to €12,000 (£10,200) per migrant along routine routes from Algeria to Spain, with over 50 migrants smuggled in a single trip. Profits from migrant smuggling alone are estimated to exceed €24 million (£20 million).

Authorities seized 18 high-speed vessels valued at €5 million (£4.2 million), guns, more than €25,000 (£21,400) in cash, and 15,000 MDMA pills during the operation. The sting involved searches in 17 locations across Spain, including Alicante, Almería, Cartagena, and Murcia.

Europol described the network as having "evolved from drug trafficking into a duel-flow criminal enterprise designed to maximise profits," also linked to "violent robberies, extortion, illegal detentions, and money laundering."

The group organized transfers in international waters near the Spanish coastline. This bust comes a week after approximately 78,000 migrants fled into the Spanish North African territory of Ceuta, an influx blamed on online rumors about an open border. Most migrants returned to Morocco, but between 3,000 and 5,000 remain, according to Ceuta's leader Juan Jesús Vivas.

Sources