Spanish police arrest 78 people in bust of 'one of largest' smuggling networks

One of the largest criminal networks smuggling drugs and people in the western Mediterranean has been dismantled, authorities have said.

Europol said 78 people were arrested in Spain and Algeria in a bust of the network, that is also linked to other criminal activities including "violent robberies, extortion, illegal detentions, and money laundering".

The group moved synthetic drugs from Spain and Portugal to Algeria, then used the return journey to smuggle migrants and weapons to the Spanish mainland and island of Ibiza on "ghost speedboats".

Some of the items seized included 18 high-speed vessels valued at €5m (£4.2m), guns, more than €25,000 (£21,400) in cash and 15,000 MDMA pills.

The sting, led by Spanish police, involved searches in 17 locations in Spain, including Alicante, Almería, Cartagena and Murcia.

Europol said the group had "evolved from drug trafficking into a duel-flow criminal enterprise designed to maximise profits" with outbound routes from Spain and Portugal to Algeria.

"The smuggling focused on synthetic drugs (such as MDMA), firearms, and explosives. Along routine routes from Algeria to Spain, the group smuggled migrants, charging up to €12,000 (£10,200) per person," Europol's statement said.

"In just one trip, over 50 migrants could be smuggled. All in all, profits from migrant smuggling alone are estimated to be more than €24m (£20m)."