Overview

• Guardia Civil’s Operation Nautilita led to 14 arrests and eight additional suspects under investigation following coordinated raids in Almería, Murcia, Sevilla and Alicante.
• Judicial authorities ordered pretrial detention for 12 of the detainees after seizures that exposed the group’s scale and organization.
• Officers seized 15 inflatable boats with engines up to 425 horsepower, two firearms, hull molds, 133 fuel canisters and €68,115 in cash during searches in Almería, Níjar, Tabernas, Espartinas and Alicante.
• Suspects face allegations of organized crime, money laundering, facilitating irregular immigration, smuggling and illegal firearms possession.
• Europol coordinated with France’s Gendarmerie and Italy’s Carabinieri as investigators say migrants were charged up to €7,000 per crossing on the dangerous Algerian–Almería route, which saw 4,067 arrivals in 2024.