Frontex Launches Operation Minerva to Monitor Mediterranean Border Crossings

The joint operation Minerva 2025 has begun in the Spanish ports of Algeciras, Ceuta and Tarifa. This deployment, coordinated by the Spanish Police and the European agency Frontex, coincides with the launch of Operation Marhaba, which sees a significant influx of Moroccans residing abroad transiting through these same ports to travel to Morocco.

The Minerva 2025 mission aims to strengthen control at the maritime border of the western Mediterranean and will be maintained until September 3rd.

For this edition, the international setup includes 129 experts from fifteen European Union member states and Norway, operating alongside 35 agents from the Spanish National Police. The deployed profiles include specialists in detecting falsified documents, investigators, dog handlers and frontline control agents, supported by Frontex personnel.

The main objectives of the operation are to combat illegal trafficking of people, human trafficking, drug trafficking and illicit vehicle trafficking. The mission is a continuation of previous efforts, with the 2024 edition resulting in 3,729 interventions, 234 arrests, 1,035 administrative offenses and 92 refusals of entry into the territory.

An essential component of Minerva 2025 is information gathering. The data collected during the operation will be used to guide operational investigations, particularly those concerning illegal trafficking of people. The goal is to strengthen the authorities’ response capacity against cross-border criminal networks.