A Spanish-led investigation involving France and supported by Europol led to the dismantling of a migrant smuggling network operating across the Western Mediterranean and facilitating logistics for other networks in the area. The network’s extensive reach and international structure enabled it to engage in various criminal activities, including drug trafficking, arms trafficking and money laundering, to multiply criminal profits while putting migrants’ lives at risk in dangerous smuggling operations by sea.
The suspects, who are Algerian, Moroccan, and Spanish nationals, maintained the migrant smuggling network’s strong presence in Almería, Spain. While based primarily in this Spanish region, the criminal organisation is connected to other criminal groups and cells operating in France, particularly in Marseille and Perpignan, as well as in La Jonquera, Spain. These interconnections facilitated a robust logistical structure that included accommodation and transportation for migrants smuggled into the European Union. The larger criminal network controlled industrial buildings, speedboats, leisure boats, land transport vehicles, boat repair services and refuelling systems.
The primary route involved the use of speedboats and leisure boats to transport migrants from Algeria to the Spanish coasts of Almería, Murcia, and the Balearic Islands. These vessels were stored in Spain and deployed as needed, often using high-powered engines supplied by the network’s members in France. The journey typically began with the migrants being transported by sea and then smuggled by land to France and other Western European countries.
The operational actions resulted in:
- 24 individuals arrested (Spanish and Moroccan nationals), including one key facilitator considered as a High Value Target
- 14 house searches in Spain
- Seizures including phantom-type speedboats, semi-rigid inflatable and recreational boats, high-end vehicles, lorry and boat trailers, 1 100 kilos of hookah tobacco, 1 175 litres of fuel (47 jerrycans), 6 satellite phones, small outboard engines (30-40 HP), Garmin marine GPS devices, signal jammer, airguns and shotguns and over EUR 80 000 in cash
Boat repair workshops on trailers to speed up sea transfers
The network had a clear structure and its members, with specialised profiles, were assigned to different tasks. This included individuals responsible for purchasing, receiving, and distributing high-power boat engines, as well as individuals involved in countersurveillance to detect law enforcement activities. The criminal network also used trailers converted into mobile mechanical workshops for the repair and maintenance of their vessels. This new modus operandi facilitated faster operations, allowing the suspects to address important mechanical issues on their own. By having these mobile workshops, the network could react more quickly to smuggling opportunities and minimise downtime.
The use of high-powered semi-rigid boats allows for faster transportation across the Mediterranean, while posing significant risks to the lives of migrants due to overcrowding on the boats and the dangerous nature of the journey. Investigators identified that the network was also able to supply high-powered engines to other criminal organisations in the region and provide the criminal service of countersurveillance to evade law enforcement. This highlights the high level of risk posed by this migrant smuggling network and its main organisers.
Europol’s support through a new operational taskforce
This investigation is part of a newly established operational taskforce at Europol. The taskforce set up between Spain and France targets dangerous migrant smuggling networks active across the Western Mediterranean Sea.
Europol supports the operational taskforce and this case by facilitating information exchange and providing operational coordination and analytical support. To enhance real-time information sharing and analysis during the action day, an expert was deployed to Spain to perform cross-checks of operational data against Europol databases and generate new leads for investigators.
Participating authorities
France: National Police (Police Nationale) / Office for the Fight Against the Illicit Smuggling of Migrants (Office de lutte contre le trafic illicite de migrants / OLTIM)
Spain: Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) / Unit against Immigration Networks and Document Fraud (Central- Unidad Central contra las Redes de Inmigración y la Falsedades documentales / UCRIF)
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 the financial flows that sustain it. 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.