Spanish authorities have dismantled an organized criminal network operating between Melilla and Morocco that specialized in smuggling people, primarily Moroccan nationals, into Spain via Melilla and other Spanish territories. The operation led to the arrest of 13 individuals, according to Spanish media reports. The investigation began in March 2024, following intelligence indicating that the network was using small boats registered under fictitious names to illegally transport migrants to the Andalusian coast. Authorities found that the network operated with a four-tiered leadership structure, comprising organizers, logistics coordinators, boat captains, and individuals who provided the fake identities under which the vessels were registered. The smugglers employed various methods, including direct beach landings in Melilla followed by burning the boats to destroy evidence, coordinating with maritime rescue teams upon reaching the shores of Motril, and deploying small vessels to disperse migrants along the coastline to evade detection. According to investigators, each migrant paid between €12,000 and €13,000, with the group earning more than €550,000 from just three smuggling operations involving 45 people across five boats. Eleven individuals were arrested in Melilla and two in Malaga. Authorities also seized communication devices used by the network, which are currently being analyzed to uncover further evidence.
