Algeria Arrests 18 Moroccans in Migrant Smuggling Bust

Algeria has arrested 23 people, of whom 18 are Moroccan nationals, in the city of Oran on the 6th of July. The men have been arrested over alleged involvement in an international criminal network linked to illegal migration. According to the Middle East Monitor, the Oran Province’s research and intervention brigade (BRI) dismantled an organised criminal network operating across international borders and involved in human smuggling.

The network is accused of organising illegal sea crossings for migrants from the coast of Algeria. The number of embarkations departing from the country has only increased in the past couple of years.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of the public prosecutor, enabling investigators to uncover the network’s methods of gathering and transporting migrants. Authorities have also seized €1,600, as well as 240 dirhams and four vehicles allegedly used in the criminal organisation. Five potential organisers of these illegal activities have been arrested, while Algerian police raided a property allegedly used to accommodate the migrants. The 18 Moroccan nationals were arrested on site.

Partly due to an increasingly difficult migration route through Morocco to reach Europe, Algeria has seen a heavy flow of migrants entering the country to depart by boat for Spain, with a recent particular emphasis on the Balearic Islands. Small boats in destinations of the Spanish islands have increased by 24.5% in 2025, compared to 2024. The Spanish Home Office declared 1999 people had arrived on the archipelago in about 401 embarkations since the beginning of 2026.

This new migration axis has opened the door to many illegal activities for criminal organisations looking to take advantage of the crisis. This new migration axis is considered one of, if not the most dangerous, routes in the Mediterranean, with 1037 people being declared missing or dead in 121 recorded events. According to the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras, “the dangers of this crossing are more important than most because of the longer distances, but also because there is a high chance of losing control of the embarkations and finding yourself in hostile areas of the Mediterranean Sea”.

Middle East Monitor, InfoMigrants, Maghrebi.org