Spain’s Guardia Civil police have dismantled a human trafficking network held responsible for the deaths of two British men in a motorway pile-up, after their car collided with a boat linked to the gang.
17 suspected members of the criminal organisation were arrested following searches at properties in the southeastern towns of Molina del Segura (in the province of Murcia), as well as Elche and Rojales (Alicante), according to police.
During the operation, officers seized two vehicles – including one thought to be involved in the fatal crash – and several weapons, the Guardia Civil confirmed in a statement.
The investigation began in October when police detained three individuals near a rubber dinghy in La Manga, a narrow strip of coastal land on the Mediterranean in the Murcia region.
The boat, which was equipped with a high-powered 150hp engine, contained 14 thirty-litre cans of petrol, a satellite phone, clothing, and food supplies – raising suspicions that it was being used by a migrant trafficking operation.
A month later, police responded to a motorway collision in La Manga involving a vehicle towing another inflatable boat with a high-powered engine. The crash resulted in the deaths of two British men, aged 49 and 57, and left 11 others injured.
The British victims’ car collided with the boat after it detached from the trailer and obstructed the road. The accident occurred on 16 November on the RM-12 road (El Agar – La Manga del Mar Menor), in the municipality of Cabo de Palos-Cartagena. Media reports at the time stated that the victims had been decapitated with the impact of the collision. Golf clubs were reportedly also discovered in their vehicle’s boot, suggesting that they had been playing golf at La Manga resort.
Seven other vehicles were involved in the multiple collision.
The driver of the vehicle hauling the speedboat fled the scene, and it remains unclear whether he is among the 17 people arrested. After that incident, the police investigation focused on uncovering an alleged criminal network dedicated to the transport of people and drugs through the Strait of Gibraltar.
#OperacionesGC
Detenida organización (17 detenidos) dedicada tráfico migrantes tras muerte 2 personas en siniestro vial #Murcia. Registros Molina del Segura (Murcia), Elche y Rojales (#Alicante), incautados 2 turismos, 2 armas fuego, 15 teléfonos móviles, balizas y droga… pic.twitter.com/0OZKAzuewg— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) February 27, 2025
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