A SPANISH-led probe in association with Europol has dismantled a large criminal gang that trafficked people from North Africa into Spain.
The gang also smuggled cannabis, synthetic drugs, and weapons.
The crew charged €12,000 each to around 2,000 migrants who would take perilous sea journeys to Spain.
The network was linked to a wide range of other criminal activities, including violent robberies, extortion, illegal detentions, and money laundering.
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The gang is said to have made overall profits estimated to be over €24 million- just from the human trafficking element of their operation.
77 people have been arrested in Spain plus one in Algeria, including what four suspects described as ‘High Value Targets’.
17 locations were searched in the Alicante, Almería, Cartagena and Murcia areas.
Seizures included 18 high-speed vessels valued at over €5 million, including 14-metre-long boats with 3-4 engines each.
Other items impounded included satellite phones, GPS devices, encrypted communication tools, satellite dishes.
15 000 MDMA pills weighing 7 kilos, 61 kg of hashish, and 500 g of cocaine were discovered as well as a revolver, a sub-machine gun, and ammunition.
Work to bring down the gang started in 2023.
They used used high-speed vessels to send synthetic drugs from Spain to North Africa, mainly MDMA.
On the return journey, the same narco-boats were used to take migrants to the Alicante province coats, as well as Almeria, Cartagena, Murcia and Ibiza.
Police officers documented a total of 64 sea crossings through which the gang brought over 2,000 people to Spain- crammed into boats where up to 50 migrants travelled.
The crossings involved an extreme risk for the migrants who were packed in for high speed journeys without wearing life jackets and travel taking place at night.
They were even tied together to prevent them from falling into the sea.
After travelled across from several African countries, authorities said they were held in ‘unhealthy slums’ on the Algerian coast as they waited for their dangerous sea crossing.
The gang were led by a boss who financed the enterprise and supplied weapons and drugs, supported by a hierarchical structure on three levels.
That ranged from strategic management to logistics, fuel suppliers, and front men.
The group operated in the Valencian Community, Andalucia, Murcia, the Balearic Islands with branches in France, Portugal, Italy and Poland.
The suspects, primarily of Algerian origin, 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 making threats against the police.
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