77 migrant smuggling network busted in Oran

Algerian police have dismantled an international migrant smuggling network and arrested 77 suspects, most of them Moroccan nationals, authorities said.

The operation, led by judicial police under prosecutorial supervision, identified key organizers and intercepted dozens of migrants en route to a departure point along the coast. Additional raids uncovered a safe house used to shelter candidates for illegal sea crossings.

Police also seized cash in foreign currency, vehicles and equipment used in the operation. The suspects have been referred to prosecutors in Falaoucen.