Spanish police said on Aug. 7 they had smashed a major criminal network involved in trafficking migrants, drugs, and weapons across the Western Mediterranean.
Spain’s Civil Guard described the network as one of the “largest criminal organizations specializing in maritime human trafficking in the Mediterranean” and said it was “believed to be responsible for at least 64 migrant-smuggling operations through which they allegedly brought more than 2,000 migrants into Spain, generating profits exceeding 24 million euros [$28 million].”
The European Union’s law enforcement agency, Europol, said it supported the Spanish-led investigation, adding that the network was also involved in extortion, illegal detentions, violent robberies, and money laundering.
Europol said those arrested were primarily of Algerian origin and had connections to organized crime in France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Poland.
Europol said the network charged about 12,000 euros ($13,500) per person and would routinely transport around 50 migrants at a time.
Spanish police said the sea crossings were extremely dangerous for those on board, as the boats were overcrowded, traveled at high speed in rough seas, lacked navigation systems or lighting, and were usually without life jackets.
“On some occasions, passengers were even tied down to prevent them from falling overboard during the crossing,” the Civil Guard said.
Europol said that during the Aug. 7 operation, police seized a .38-caliber revolver, a replica submachine gun, ammunition, 5,000 MDMA pills, 61 kilos of hashish, 500 grams of cocaine, and a ledger used as part of the “hawala” system of covert financial transactions.
They also discovered satellite phones and dishes, encrypted communication devices, and GPS equipment.
Four of the network’s alleged leaders were among those arrested, the Civil Guard said.
“They used extremely violent methods to protect the vessels and resist law enforcement,” the Civil Guard added.
Ceuta Crisis
The police operation is thought to be unconnected to the recent incursion into the Spanish exclave Ceuta by about 50,000 illegal immigrants.
On April 14, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government approved a royal decree to grant illegal immigrants already living and working in Spain legal status through an accelerated process. Those who meet certain conditions can now seek a one-year residency and work permit.
After a year, those granted the temporary measure will be eligible to apply for other work or residency permits.
The government estimates that half a million people living in the shadows of Spanish society could be eligible; analysts say the figure is likely higher. Spanish think tank Funcas estimates there are roughly 840,000 illegal immigrants living in Spain.
Spanish police attend as protesters and counter-protesters face each other during a demonstration in Ceuta, Spain, on Aug. 2, 2026. Adri Salido/Getty Images
Morocco’s Interior Ministry blamed the mass movement of migrants into Ceuta on social media misinformation, human trafficking networks, and what it described as widespread misinterpretation of a recent Spanish court ruling limiting the immediate return of migrants intercepted at sea.
Spanish officials have offered a similar explanation while rejecting claims that Spain’s program granting legal status to certain illegal immigrants encouraged the surge.
Sánchez visited Ceuta on July 31, and said the Spanish government would continue to fight against the mafias that “traffic in human beings.”
Police officers and Spanish soldiers escort a large group of illegal immigrants to the border to take them out of Spain, after mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into Spanish territory, in Ceuta, Spain, on Aug. 1, 2026. Jon Nazca/Reuters
The Guardia Civil said the Aug. 7 operation took place under a newly established task force within Europol that brought together law enforcement officers from France and Spain, and said it was also supported by the Portuguese judicial police and the Polish Border Guard.
The Spanish National Police said in a post on X that the network used one route but had two criminal enterprises.
“They transported drugs to Algeria and returned with migrants irregularly,” it said.
In a report published on July 31, the Spanish interior ministry said 17,097 illegal immigrants had arrived in Spain by land and sea between January and July 2026, down 15.7 percent from 20,271 during the same period in 2025.
Reuters contributed to this report.
