The National Police has successfully dismantled a criminal organisation operating in the provinces of Alicante and Almería. This group was allegedly involved in providing boats, engines, and fuel to other criminal networks for transporting migrants from Algeria to the Spanish coast. During the operation, the police arrested seven individuals, six in Almería and one in Alicante, three of whom have been placed in provisional custody.

The police seized three semi-rigid boats believed to have been used in at least four migratory episodes, which saw over eighty individuals reach Spanish territory. The investigation has revealed that the organisation had garnered profits exceeding five hundred and sixty thousand euros from these illegal activities.

The investigation commenced in July twenty twenty-four when officers noted the suspicious road transport of two boats typically associated with human trafficking across the Alboran Sea. This led to the discovery of six semi-rigid boats, with three confirmed to have been used in migratory journeys.

Officials have clarified that this dismantled group did not directly pilot the boats or transport migrants; instead, they acted as suppliers to other criminal organisations operating in the Mediterranean. The hierarchy of the organisation was well-defined, with roles including intermediaries who communicated with Algerian networks, transporters moving the boats, pilots testing engines, and guards overseeing safety. Authorities have continued the judicial investigation to determine the full extent of the network’s operations and its links to other migrant trafficking groups in the Alboran Sea.