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 across the western Mediterranean.

The group 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 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 charges up to €12,000 (£10,200) per person. In a single trip, over 50 migrants could be smuggled, generating estimated profits exceeding €24 million (£20 million) from migrant smuggling alone.

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

This announcement 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.

Sources