Spanish police said on Friday they had dismantled a migrant-smuggling network they described as one of the largest involved in moving migrants across the Mediterranean, arresting 78 people and seizing 18 speedboats.
Police said the group used the fast boats to transport synthetic drugs, including ecstasy, from Spain to Algeria, before using them on return trips to smuggle migrants to Spain’s coast and to the island of Ibiza.
How the network operated
According to Spanish police, the group used the same speedboats for two types of trafficking. First, the boats carried drugs from Spain to Algeria. On the return journey, they were used to transport migrants across the Mediterranean.
Police said this method allowed the network to combine drug trafficking and people smuggling, increasing profits and strengthening its operational capacity.
More than 2,000 migrants moved
Investigators said the network was involved in at least 64 migrant-smuggling operations, moving more than 2,000 people to Spain and generating estimated profits of about $28 million.
Police added that the operation dismantled the network’s core structure and resulted in the seizure of the boats used in both drug and migrant trafficking.
Wider crackdown on trafficking routes
The operation comes as European authorities step up efforts to monitor irregular migration routes across the Mediterranean, under growing political pressure to strengthen border controls and curb smuggling networks.
Spain’s coastline remains one of the main entry points for irregular migrants arriving from North Africa, particularly via organised sea routes.
Separate European tensions over migration
In a separate development, Spain warned Italy it could take countermeasures if Rome did not lift its suspension of the Schengen agreement, which allows free movement within Europe.
Madrid said it was urging Italy to correct the situation and end checks on Spaniards, warning that it would be forced to take proportionate measures if the policy remained in place.
Background to the dispute
The Spanish warning followed Italy’s decision to suspend Schengen rules with Spain for one month after more than 70,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, despite Madrid saying the situation had been brought under control.
The move drew criticism from other European Union states, which called for a tougher approach to illegal migration and stronger protection of the bloc’s external borders.
Conclusion:
The dismantling of the migrant-smuggling network highlights the scale of the challenge facing Europe in combating sea-based trafficking operations, especially when drug smuggling and migrant smuggling overlap. The incident also reflects broader political tensions inside the European Union over migration policy and border controls.
