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Spanish police dismantled a human smuggling ring on Sunday that facilitated the irregular migration of up to 2,500 Moroccans through Romania, AFP reports. The operation resulted in the arrest of four suspects in the southeastern province of Murcia. The suspects are accused of belonging to a criminal organization and facilitating illegal immigration, according to a statement by the Guardia Civil.
The network's modus operandi involved transporting Moroccan nationals by plane to Romania, from where they were moved to Spain for a fee of €3,000 per person. Authorities believe the arrested individuals were the ringleaders of the organization.
Over the past two years, Spanish authorities estimate that around 50 such operations took place, each involving between 20 and 50 migrants—amounting to a total of 1,000 to 2,500 individuals.
The migrants were reportedly kept in a so-called «logistics center» in Romania while awaiting transfer to Spain.
The operation to dismantle the network was carried out with the support of Europol and the European Union’s border agency, Frontex.
