Spanish authorities have dismantled a suspected migrant smuggling network headquartered in Spain with the help of French officials and Europol. The smugglers had a strong presence in Andalusia province, especially in the port city of Almería.
The ring was well-connected, keeping close contact with criminal organizations across Spain, particularly in La Jonquera in Catalonia Province along the French-Spanish border, and, according to Europol, in France, particularly in Marseille and Perpignan.
“These interconnections facilitated a robust logistical structure that included accommodation and transportation for migrants smuggled into the European Union,” Europol highlighted.
Smuggling Activities and Support Network
The main operation involved offering speedboat and leisure boat journeys primarily from Algeria to Spanish coasts at Almería and Murcia and the Balearic Islands. Vessels were stored in Spain, supplied with high-powered engines coming from France.
Connections in France and across Spain facilitated boat journeys and maritime equipment as well as accommodation and transportation for those smuggled into the EU.
The syndicate also commanded a support network, including storage buildings, purchase and distribution of high-power boat engines, and individuals tasked with countersurveillance to keep law enforcement at bay. Engines and countersurveillance services were also supplied to other criminal organizations.
The network also used trailers converted into mobile workshops to service vessels, enabling quick and self-sufficient operations.
According to Europol’s press release, “the network had a clear structure and its members, with specialized profiles,” preventing power consolidation and fast-tracking operations.
Joint Forces Combat Cross-Border Criminal Networks
The Spanish-led investigation, which also involved France and Europol, uncovered and hit the extensive criminal structure, which also engaged in drug and arms trafficking as well as money laundering besides human smuggling.
The crackdown resulted in 24 individuals being arrested – Algerian, Spanish, and Moroccan in nationality – 14 house searches in Spain, and seizures including small boats, trailers, satellite phones, maritime equipment, guns, 1175 liters of fuel, and over €80 000 in cash.
The success has been attributed to the joint Spanish-French task force established by Europol, facilitating information exchange and providing operational coordination and analytical support.
Specifically targeting people smugglers, Europol set up its new unit, the European Center Against Migrant Smuggling (ECAMS), to ensure better exchange of information and coordination by setting up a network of liaisons from Frontex, Eurojust, and the Member States.
Europol also facilitates cooperation with countries outside the EU in a similar manner: at the end of March, 13 suspects were arrested in connection with one of Scotland’s most violent organized crime gangs, suspected of moving hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into the country. For this operation, Europol brought together officers from Spain, the UK, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates, since the gang’s senior figures operated from these countries.
Spain Steps Up Against Illegal Work
Spain’s migration policy combines border management with a strong emphasis on integrating migrants already in the country, including granting legal status and improving working conditions, as migrants are considered essential to sustaining its economy and addressing its aging population.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist-led government has championed a new strategy by offering amnesty to those applying to legalize their status if they’ve spent five months in the country and have a clean criminal record. Applications have just opened, with a deadline for final applications in June.
Beneficiaries will receive a one-year, renewable residence permit, work permits, access to social security, and the healthcare system. The aim is to end illegal work, guaranteeing social security contributions as well as safety for workers.
“Without papers (work and residency permits), your hands are tied,” a 25-year-old Moroccan migrant, Mourad El-Shaky, told the Associated Press. “You’re like a bird that can’t fly, with broken wings.”
The government estimated this could regularize over 500,000 migrants, but others have put the number higher, like Spanish think tank Funcas, estimating around 840,000 people.
While many fellow EU states disagree with the Spanish focus on integration and welcoming migrants, it has resulted in GDP growth of 3.5% in 2024, according to the OECD, surpassing states like France, the UK, and the US.
