Spain-Led Raid Cracks Major Western Mediterranean Smuggling Ring, 78 Arrested

A Spain-led operation with Europol and police from France, Portugal and Poland dismantled one of the Western Mediterranean’s largest migrant-smuggling networks, arresting 78 people (77 in Spain and 1 in Algeria) and seizing assets including 18 high-speed boats. The group operated two-way routes between Europe and Algeria, moved more than 2,000 migrants, and generated over €24 million in profits, charging up to €12,000 per person. The network offered a wide range of services to other criminals—storage, transport, refueling, maintenance, and counter-surveillance—while using informal hawala networks to move funds; authorities described it as among the most complex and dangerous criminal networks detected in the Mediterranean, with 17 locations searched across Spain and high-value targets among the detainees.