Algerian police announced on Wednesday the arrest of an international network that worked on transferring migrants from Syria to Europe through Algeria. 

According to a statement posted on Facebook by the Algerian police, the Central Department of the Fight against Organized Crime, affiliated with the Directorate General for National Security, arrested this week nine Syrians and six Algerians, among them two women, suspected of belonging to this network. The police also seized more than $11,000 and 9,000 euros, as well as currency in Lebanese and Syrian pounds, during the operation.

The latest bust follows a five-month investigation launched by Algeria's National Security Services, revealing that the smugglers are routing illegal migrants from Syria and Lebanon to Libya via Benghazi’s airport. Then, they would be taken by land to the Libyan town of Ghadames, from which they would cross the border with Algeria to Debdeb to finally arrive in the port city of Oran in western Algeria, facing the Spanish coast. There, the network would coordinate with a Syrian national — who is among those arrested — to organize the illegal sea trips to Europe. 

In the last few years, Algerian authorities have arrested hundreds of Syrians on their border with Libya planning to make the dangerous trip to Europe via sea crossings. Libya has become a popular transit point for migrants fleeing hardships and conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, hoping to reach Europe despite the dangers and risks of the sea journey.