Spanish police, with support from 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 Ibiza using "ghost speedboats," according to Europol.

Items seized during the operation included 18 high-speed vessels valued at €5 million (£4.2 million), guns, over €25,000 (£21,400) in cash, and 15,000 MDMA pills. The sting involved searches at 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," with outbound routes from Spain and Portugal to Algeria. Migrants were smuggled along routine routes from Algeria to Spain, with fees reaching up to €12,000 (£10,200) per person. In some trips, over 50 migrants could be smuggled, generating estimated profits exceeding €24 million (£20 million) from migrant smuggling alone.

The group organised transfers in international waters near the Spanish coastline, facilitating the movement of illicit goods and people across the Western Mediterranean. The network was also linked to other criminal activities including "violent robberies, extortion, illegal detentions, and money laundering," Europol said.

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

Sources