Spanish police, working with Algerian authorities and Europol, have arrested 78 people accused of running one of the western Mediterranean’s largest drug- and people-smuggling networks. The operation matters because investigators say the group combined trafficking routes to move drugs, weapons and migrants between North Africa and Europe, while allegedly subjecting migrants to dangerous and abusive conditions.

The network reportedly sent synthetic drugs, including MDMA, from Spain and Portugal to Algeria, then used return journeys to transport migrants, weapons and cannabis resin to Spain and Ibiza. Authorities said migrants were charged up to €12,000 each, with more than 50 people carried on some trips and estimated migrant-smuggling profits exceeding €24m; police seized 18 speedboats worth €5m, 15,000 MDMA pills, firearms and cash during searches at 17 Spanish locations.