Rabat — Spanish judicial authorities have ordered the imprisonment of 12 people accused of running a criminal organization that smuggled migrants from Algeria’s coast to Spain using a fleet of high-powered boats worth more than one million euros.
Police arrested 14 suspects during Operation Nautilita, which targeted a network that charged up to € 7,000 per migrant for dangerous sea crossings.
Eight additional people remain under investigation for their alleged involvement in the scheme.
Arrests span multiple provinces
Authorities made most arrests in Almeria province, where they detained seven suspects during eight searches of homes, farms, warehouses, and shipyards in the capital city, Tabernas, and Nijar.
Police also arrested three people in Murcia, three in Alicante province, and one in the Seville municipality of Espartinas.
The operation involved collaboration with Europol and European police forces, including France’s National Gendarmerie and Italy’s Carabinieri.
Sophisticated fleet and equipment seized
Police seized 15 inflatable boats measuring between 7.5 and 8 meters long, each equipped with powerful engines ranging from 200 to 425 horsepower.
Authorities also confiscated two boat hull molds (8 and 14 meters long), three additional 300-horsepower engines, two handguns, 133 gasoline cans, and € 68,115 in cash.
The criminal organization had invested heavily in high-speed “go-fast” vessels and maintained substantial fuel storage capacity to support their operations.
Complex financial network
The smuggling ring operated through a sophisticated financial structure that included French-based companies to launder profits from their illegal activities back to Algeria.
The organization used various roles, including sponsors, financiers, intermediaries, fixers, nautical facilitators, and logistics coordinators.
Police investigations revealed the network channeled significant investments through French holding companies and “hawaladars” — traditional money brokers who transfer funds without physical movement of cash.
Collaboration with maritime industry
The organization worked with nautical companies and shipyards that specialize in manufacturing and selling vessels, providing the logistics necessary for maritime journeys that police say posed serious risks to migrants’ lives.
Serious charges filed
Authorities charged the suspects with multiple crimes, including membership in a criminal organization, money laundering, violating foreign citizens’ rights through facilitating illegal immigration, smuggling, and illegal weapons possession.
The case signals Spain’s ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking networks that exploit vulnerable migrants seeking to reach Europe through dangerous Mediterranean crossings.
