EU investigators targeted 10 suspected migrant smugglers operating along the Central Mediterranean route generated more than 1,500 new leads during a two-day online operation in March.
The “digital action days” took place on 18 and 19 March and brought together more than 30 experts from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, alongside Europol and online investigators from its DiGiNeX network, Europol announced on Wednesday.
Participants also included the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (OTP-ICC).
Authorities focused on 10 “main targets” linked to smuggling journeys through Libya to Europe.
Investigators worked with open-source intelligence — information available publicly online — to support ongoing national investigations.
They analysed 251 “identifiers” linked to the suspects and their alleged networks, producing more than 1,500 investigative leads.
The identifiers included usernames, email addresses, system-generated identifiers, social media accounts and companies connected to the suspects.
Allegations of trafficking and extreme violence
The joint team is targeting networks suspected of smuggling migrants from African and Asian countries to camps in Libya, where migrants are “frequently” subjected to violence and exploitation, Europol said.
Some acts may qualify as crimes against humanity or war crimes and could fall under the ICC’s jurisdiction.
Smugglers often extort migrants and their families by demanding extra payments under threats of violence to allow people to continue their journey across the Mediterranean.
After arriving in Italy, many migrants travel onwards to other European countries including Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
Europol said the Joint Team was set up in 2018 to improve intelligence-sharing and coordinate investigations into migrant smuggling from Libya to the European Union via the Central Mediterranean route.
The framework includes law enforcement and judicial authorities from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, as well as the OTP-ICC.
A new Europol unit — the European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling (ECAMS) — was established in March 2026 after EU legislation adopted in December 2025.
The centre is intended to improve information-sharing and coordination, including strengthening open-source intelligence and financial investigations.
