Algeciras Sting Uncovers Massive Car Smuggling Ring

This intervention is the result of an intensification of the controls carried out in the city and at the maritime border post, aimed at countering attempts to illegally transfer vehicles to Morocco, explains the Spanish police in a press release.

The investigations have demonstrated the modus operandi used by the criminal organizations. They resorted to forged documents and fraudulent changes of ownership to conceal the true owners of the vehicles. Vehicle rental companies were among the main victims of these networks, which intended to resell the majority of the cars in various African countries.

Beyond this traffic, the authorities have noted an increase in the use of stolen vehicles by networks linked to drug trafficking. Utility vehicles, particularly vans and high-capacity off-road vehicles, were specifically stolen to be used to refuel the fast boats used for drug transport.

These police operations led to the arrest of eleven people, presumed responsible for the offenses related to these vehicle thefts. Other arrests were made for document forgery and attempts to circumvent tax obligations and traffic rules.