Spain arrests ringleader of deadly migrant route network linked to Morocco

Spanish police said they have dismantled the operational arm of one of the most dangerous international networks trafficking migrants from Morocco’s southern coasts to the Canary Islands via the perilous Atlantic route.

The operation, dubbed Náufrago (“Shipwrecked”), was led by the foreign and border police unit in Puerto del Rosario, on the island of Fuerteventura.

The investigation began after two migrants, victims of the network, were found alive and agreed to testify as protected witnesses. Their statements helped authorities identify a 22-year-old Moroccan national living in Fuerteventura, described as the key figure coordinating the Spanish branch of the group in direct contact with its central leadership in Tan-Tan and Laayoune, Morocco.

According to police, the criminal network was “violent, organized, and hierarchically structured,” made up mostly of Moroccans responsible for recruitment, logistics, transport, and boat piloting.

The group owned off-road vehicles, inflatable boats, and weapons, allowing it to carry out multiple simultaneous smuggling operations.

Victims were forced to sail without life jackets or safety gear and were routinely subjected to extortion, violence, and degrading treatment.

One witness said the Spanish ringleader threw three migrants overboard, who remain missing, and personally piloted the boats and collected payments.

The investigation linked the group to a previous network dismantled in April 2025, confirming cross-border coordination. The final stage of the operation, conducted between October 8 and 9, led to the arrest of the ringleader on charges of organized crime, human smuggling, homicide, serious threats, and failure to render assistance.

Police said the operation “fully dismantled the Spanish cell” of a transnational smuggling ring exploiting one of the world’s deadliest migration routes to Europe.