Spain arrests 78 in Mediterranean smuggling ring tied to 2,000 migrants
What's new: Investigators say the network made about €24 million, ran at least 64 crossings and also moved drugs, guns and explosives.
Spanish authorities, working with Europol and police in France, Portugal and Poland, arrested 78 people in Spain and Algeria after breaking up what they described as one of the largest smuggling networks in the western Mediterranean. Investigators believe the group brought more than 2,000 migrants into Spain, charging up to €12,000 a person and earning about €24 million from migrant crossings alone. The network allegedly sent synthetic drugs from Spain and Portugal to Algeria, then used return trips to move migrants, weapons and sometimes cannabis resin to mainland Spain and Ibiza. Police seized 18 high-speed boats, 15,000 MDMA pills, guns, cash and encrypted communications gear.