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 network trafficked synthetic drugs such as MDMA, firearms, and explosives from Spain and Portugal to Algeria. On the return journey, the group smuggled migrants and weapons to the Spanish mainland and Ibiza using "ghost speedboats," according to Europol.

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

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

"The group used these boats to organise transfers in international waters near the Spanish coastline," Europol said. The network is also linked to other criminal activities including "violent robberies, extortion, illegal detentions, and money laundering."

This announcement follows a recent surge in migrants entering the Spanish North African territory of Ceuta, where approximately 78,000 migrants fled a week earlier amid rumors of an open border. Most have returned to Morocco, but between 3,000 and 5,000 remain, according to Ceuta's leader Juan Jesús Vivas.

Sources