How drugs and people became interchangeable for Europe's smuggling gangs

Criminal gangs are increasingly using a dual strategy of smuggling both drugs and people along routes to Europe, according to a senior Europol official. Alina Arucsandei, who leads Europol's European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling, noted that these organizations, known as polycriminal, often utilize the same infrastructure for both activities.

In a recent joint investigation involving France, Spain, Portugal, and Europol, 78 people were arrested, primarily from Algerian backgrounds, who operated a well-connected criminal network spanning France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Poland. The shift from migrants departing from Morocco to Algeria in recent years, driven by stricter Moroccan maritime patrols, has contributed to this trend.

The Western Mediterranean route, predominantly used by Algerians and Moroccans, saw a 66% increase in arrivals on the Spanish mainland and Balearic Islands compared to the same period last year. Migrants are lured by economic hardship, with most citing this as their primary motivation. The Algeria-Spain route, known for its lucrative nature, involves migrants paying up to €12,000 each for fast, luxury-speedboat transportation.

These high-speed vessels, referred to as narcolanchas, are equipped with powerful engines and can carry dangerous drugs, such as MDMA and cocaine, back to Europe. Europol's efforts to combat people smuggling in the Western Mediterranean focus on targeting high-value criminal organizations, aiming to disrupt their operations and reduce the impact of these illicit activities in the region.