Spain migrant smuggling network: 78 arrested

Spanish police said Friday they had dismantled one of the largest criminal networks involved in smuggling migrants across the Mediterranean, arresting 78 people and seizing 18 high-speed boats.

Police said the network allegedly used the boats to carry synthetic drugs, including ecstasy, from Spain to Algeria, then smuggled migrants back to Spain's Mediterranean coast and Ibiza.

Investigators believe the group was responsible for at least 64 migrant smuggling operations that brought more than 2,000 people to Spain and generated more than 24 million euros, or $28 million, in profits.

Police said the crossings were extremely dangerous, with migrants travelling crammed together at high speed in rough seas. They said passengers were sometimes tied up to stop them falling into the water.

The network charged up to 12,000 euros per person, and some crossings involved as many as 50 migrants, police said. Four alleged leaders of the organisation were among those arrested.

Authorities also seized boats valued at more than five million euros. The operation was carried out with Europol and police forces in France, Portugal and Poland.

Most irregular migration to Spain by sea takes place on the Atlantic route from west Africa to the Canary Islands. AFP reported that arrivals to the Canary Islands have fallen in recent months, while irregular migration on the western Mediterranean route from Algeria to Spain has increased.