Europol supported a Spanish-led investigation that dismantled one of the largest criminal networks smuggling cannabis, synthetic drugs, migrants, weapons, and even fugitives across the Western Mediterranean. The network was linked to a wide range of other criminal activities, including violent robberies, extortion, illegal detentions, and money laundering.
The operation, conducted under a newly established Europol Taskforce within Europol’s European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling, brought together officers from the French National Police (Police aux Frontières/OLTIM), and the Spanish National Police (Comisaría General de Extranjería y Fronteras/UCRIF) and Guardia Civil. The case was also supported by the Portuguese Judicial Police (Policía Judiciaria) and the Polish Border Guard (BG).
Strongly involved in migrant smuggling and other criminal activities, the network functioned as a professional logistics provider for multiple criminal groups. Its members arranged storage, transport, refuelling, maritime transfers, vessel maintenance, and counter-surveillance services. Investigators discovered that the network controlled an entire fleet of vessels, including so-called ghost speedboats, which are banned in Spain due to their length and motor power. These types of speedboats are frequently used by organised crime groups, especially drug traffickers, to transport illegal goods.
The network allegedly used the same high-powered speedboats to conduct drop-offs at sea in international waters near the Spanish coast. These maritime handovers were designed to minimise detection risks while enabling quick transfers of drugs, weapons, and migrants to shore.
The results of the operation include:
- 78 suspects arrested in Spain and Algeria, including three High Value Targets;
- 17 locations searched in Spain (Alicante, Almería, Cartagena and Murcia);
- Seizures include:
- 18 high-speed vessels valued at over EUR 5 million, including 14-meter-long boats with 3-4 engines each;
- A .38-caliber revolver, a simulated submachine gun, ammunition;
- EUR 25 000+ in cash, assets linked to money laundering, and the "hawala" ledger (informal financial system);
- 15 000 MDMA pills (7 kg), 61 kg of hashish, and 500 g of cocaine;
- Satellite phones, GPS devices, encrypted communication tools, satellite dishes.
Violent multi-layered criminal syndicate
The suspects, primarily of Algerian origin, had connections to criminal groups in France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Poland. The network also had ties to larger organisations, including the so-called "Mocro Mafia" and the "Marseille Milieu." It employed extreme violence, using firearms, threats, and contract killers to enforce control over members and migrants. Additionally, the network relied on high-speed evasive manoeuvres, armed resistance during raids, and threats against law enforcement officers.
The criminal network operated through well-defined substructures active in key regions, maintaining a stable hierarchy that allowed it to continue functioning even when members were imprisoned.
Operational bases were located in Spain (Almería, Murcia, Cartagena, Alicante, Ibiza), as well as in France (Marseille), Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Poland, while the leadership resided in France and Belgium.
The members of the organisation were assigned various roles in the criminal chain including skippers, logistics managers, fuel suppliers, security guards, recruiters, and financial operators. Some were responsible for acquiring and storing vessels, while others arranged crew members, fuel and refuelling at sea, boat and engine purchases, safe houses, land transport, or communications. Financial flows were managed through the hawala system, making it difficult to trace illicit funds.
A criminal network operating like a logistics company
The criminal network evolved from drug trafficking into a dual-flow criminal enterprise designed to maximise profits. On outbound routes from Spain and Portugal to Algeria, the smuggling focused on synthetic drugs (such as MDMA), firearms, and explosives. Along return routes from Algeria to Spain, the group smuggled migrants, charging up to EUR 12 000 per person. In just one trip, over 50 migrants could be smuggled. All in all, profits from migrant smuggling alone are estimated to be more than EUR 24 million.
Ghost speedboats used for transfers at sea
The criminal organisation relied on a fleet of high-powered speedboats to conduct rapid maritime operations. These included ghost speedboats, vessels designed to avoid registration and detection, which are prohibited in Spain.
The group used these boats to organise transfers in international waters near the Spanish coastline. Once the cargo or migrants were handed over at sea, other network members arranged onward transport by land.
This modus operandi allowed suspects to separate maritime and land-based operations, complicating law enforcement efforts and increasing risks for migrants transported in dangerous conditions. Migrants were often carried in overcrowded boats without lighting or life jackets, frequently under extreme weather conditions.
Investigators believe suspects perpetrated sexual assaults, physical abuse, and placed migrants in inhuman conditions in makeshift housing.
Europol’s multi-level support in complex investigations
Europol supported the operation by facilitating information exchange, providing operational coordination, and delivering analytical assistance to both migrant smuggling and financial investigations.
Two Europol experts from Europol’s European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling and one from the European Cybercrime Centre were deployed to Spain during the action day on 16 June 2026. They coordinated with the Agency’s headquarters, cross-checked in real time operational data against Europol’s databases, provided technical and forensic support on the spot, and generated new investigative leads.
New Europol centre reinforces support against migrant smuggling
Migrant smuggling remains a key criminal threat for the EU, requiring coordinated action across the entire criminal chain - from recruitment and transit, to provision of fraudulent documents and the financial flows that sustain the business of smugglers. Europol supports investigations through a data-driven approach, enhancing cases provided by national authorities with operational analysis and expertise. Europol also facilitates information exchange and coordinates joint operations to disrupt criminal networks.
To strengthen Europol’s efforts to combat migrant smuggling, Regulation (EU) 2025/2611 was adopted in December 2025. This new EU legislation underscores the importance of addressing migrant smuggling at the EU level through enhanced cooperation, including the establishment of Europol’s European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling (ECAMS) in March 2026.
ECAMS ensures better systematic exchange of information and coordination of efforts. This includes strengthening expertise in OSINT and financial investigations, as well as enhancing the operational impact of the network of liaison officers from Frontex, Eurojust, and the Member States.