Spanish police, with support from Europol, arrested 78 individuals in Spain and Algeria on August 7, 2026, dismantling one of the largest criminal networks smuggling drugs and people in the western Mediterranean. The group was involved in trafficking synthetic drugs such as MDMA, firearms, explosives, and migrants.

Europol stated the network had evolved from drug trafficking into a dual-flow criminal enterprise, moving synthetic drugs from Spain and Portugal to Algeria. On the return journey, they smuggled migrants and weapons to the Spanish mainland and Ibiza using "ghost speedboats". The group charged up to €12,000 (£10,200) per migrant, with over 50 migrants smuggled in a single trip and estimated profits from migrant smuggling alone exceeding €24 million (£20 million).

The operation included searches in 17 Spanish locations, including Alicante, Almería, Cartagena, and Murcia. 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.

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

Europol highlighted that the group organised transfers in international waters near the Spanish coastline and was also linked to other criminal activities including violent robberies, extortion, illegal detentions, and money laundering.

Sources