When thousands of people converged on Ceuta in one of the largest irregular crossings ever witnessed on Spain’s southern border, the images dominated headlines across Europe. Rescue teams pulled people from the sea, security forces struggled to contain the flow and families were left searching for loved ones who never made it home. Yet long after the beaches emptied and the emergency response began to wind down, one question refused to disappear. Who organised it?

For days, Spanish and Moroccan officials pointed towards criminal networks that had exploited vulnerable people with promises of an easy route into Europe. There was speculation, accusations and rumours, but little indication that those allegedly responsible had been identified. Now, Morocco says that has changed.

Prosecutors move against alleged organisers

Moroccan judicial authorities have opened proceedings against 86 people accused of organising and facilitating the mass crossings towards Ceuta, describing the arrests as part of a wider operation targeting the networks believed to have coordinated the movement of thousands of migrants. According to the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), the suspects appeared before courts in Tetouan and Nador, two of the areas where investigators believe much of the planning and organisation took place before the attempted crossings.

The largest group of defendants is facing accusations linked to organising irregular migration, transporting migrants illegally and public disorder. Others have been charged with assaulting members of the security forces, damaging public property and refusing to comply with police orders during the operation.

Investigators believe false promises fuelled the crossings

The investigation centres on claims that organised groups encouraged migrants to travel towards Ceuta by spreading misleading information about what would happen if they reached Spanish territory. According to Moroccan authorities, rumours circulated through social media and messaging platforms suggested that anyone who managed to enter Ceuta would automatically be allowed to remain in Spain. Investigators believe those claims, combined with the work of people-smuggling networks, convinced thousands that the crossing offered a realistic chance of reaching Europe.

Officials argue that the movement was far from spontaneous. Instead, prosecutors believe groups of organisers helped coordinate transport towards the border, directed people to crossing points and exploited the desperation of migrants who were prepared to risk everything for the possibility of a better future. The allegations will now be tested in court, where prosecutors are expected to present evidence gathered during the investigation.

Some defendants have already been sentenced

While many of the cases are only just beginning, Morocco’s courts have already handed down the first convictions connected to the operation. Eleven defendants have received prison sentences of up to six months, together with fines that can reach €1,000. Dozens of other suspects remain before the courts, with further hearings expected in the coming weeks as investigators continue examining the evidence.

Among those prosecuted are five minors, who were referred to child protection services rather than being dealt with through the adult criminal courts after allegations they were involved in acts of violence and vandalism during the unrest. The legal action represents Morocco’s clearest attempt yet to show that its response is focused on those accused of organising irregular migration rather than the migrants themselves.

A tragedy that claimed at least 141 lives

The prosecutions come after one of the deadliest migration disasters ever recorded on the western Mediterranean route. Rights organisation Caminando Fronteras estimates that at least 141 people died attempting to reach Ceuta during the crisis. Bodies were recovered from both Moroccan and Spanish waters in the days that followed, while families continued searching for relatives who disappeared during the crossings.

Although different organisations have published varying death tolls, there is little dispute over the scale of the tragedy. The events have intensified calls for stronger action against trafficking networks that profit from vulnerable migrants while exposing them to extreme danger.

The investigation is far from over

Moroccan authorities insist the operation remains active and have not ruled out further arrests as investigators continue tracing the networks they believe orchestrated the crossings. The prosecutions are also intended to counter claims that Morocco deliberately relaxed border controls during the crisis. Rabat has repeatedly rejected those accusations, maintaining that organised criminal groups exploited the situation by spreading false information and encouraging large numbers of people to head towards Ceuta simultaneously.

A crackdown, but no easy answers

Whether the 86 prosecutions will dismantle those networks remains to be seen. Human rights organisations have called for every defendant to receive a fair trial and proper legal representation, while warning that prosecuting organisers alone will not address the poverty, conflict and lack of opportunity that continue to drive migration towards Europe.

For Spain, the court cases may provide the first detailed picture of how one of the most dramatic border crises in recent years was organised.  For the families who lost loved ones, however, identifying those accused of orchestrating the crossings cannot undo the human cost. What the prosecutions may do is reveal how a tragedy that claimed more than a hundred lives was able to gather momentum in the first place, and whether similar networks are still operating today.

“Most of the kids who are sharing the thing about storming Ceuta on August 15, I swear they won’t get anywhere,” reads a Facebook message in a group for “those interested in migration from Morocco to occupied Ceuta” with nearly 23,000 members, which has grown by more than 6,000 in the past week, according to the platform’s own data. This message is just one example of the hundreds this newspaper has seen, mainly on WhatsApp and Facebook, talking about a possible new mass influx into the Spanish exclave on August 15. Thousands of young Moroccans are debating whether it’s real, whether it’s worth it, whether it’s feasible, or whether it’s all designed to deceive minors. “Is your life really worth so little? Leave the people of Ceuta alone. Enough is enough: the young people who left and those who are missing — their parents are devastated,” the message continues.

The date August 15 is not just a rumor: “Brothers, 8/15/2026,” says a WhatsApp message in a 35-member group called “Migration to Ceuta and Melilla” created last Thursday. This newspaper privately asked the creator of one of these groups if the goal was to try to enter Ceuta on August 15. “Yes, or even more than that,” he replied. When asked if it would be safe, if there would be a lot of people, or if there would be deportations, he simply replied, “God only knows. Come on, join the group and ask.” All of these messages and conversations on social media are in Arabic.

There are lots of mentions of August 15 on social media. The comments are a mix of enthusiasm: “See you there on the 15th. Be there on time,” “I’m heading up from Marrakesh to the north to experience that day.” But there are even more comments expressing suspicion or caution: “Don’t take any risks — the situation is still tense. I probably won’t go; I’ll go at the end of the month, when things have cooled down. Are they really that stupid? The first time caught them off guard, but now they’ve got it all figured out. Be patient, wait, and take advantage of a lapse in security,” says a member of a 123-member group. The rumor has spread to such an extent that in one of the WhatsApp chats, someone posted a message from the far-right Spanish party Se Acabó La Fiesta with screenshots about August 15. In another, a man claiming to be Spanish, named Ángel, wrote: “We’re going to kick you out of Spain.”

EL PAÍS accessed five Facebook groups with nearly 400,000 members and nine WhatsApp groups with several hundred. An investigation by fact-checking organization Maldita found 10 groups with 422,560 members, other smaller ones on WhatsApp, as well as scattered posts on Instagram. The August 15 rumor could also be a way to draw people from other cities to the Ceuta area so they might then be tempted to buy a spot from a trafficking gang on an inflatable or small boat.

One example of the doubts and tone on WhatsApp is this Tuesday conversation among several users: “Hello, brothers. Is there something on the 18th?” “Or the 30th? Or in 2030? Haha,” “they say the 15th,” “for the kids who are in Agadir, write to me. Are you going on the 15th? You won’t find transport. I’m next to the customs gate,” “photos to see,” “send us a video, brother,” “brothers, don’t stay: let everyone do their own thing; whoever wants to go up and do the hrig [illegal migration], let them look after themselves,” “kids, those of you passing through Beni Ensar, the Melilla entrance: explain the plan, how to cross there,” “I entered and the Guardia Civil returned me,” “but everyone is going to cross from Fnideq [Castillejos],” “nobody is going to cross through Melilla, brother. Those who are there are all in Fnideq,” “we, brother, go by the fence,” “how do you cross the fence? Explain it to us.”

“Social media is practically the only source of information these young people have about Spain,” says María Guevara, a researcher at Pablo de Olavide University in Seville. “Moroccan youth are very connected to one another, on a peer-to-peer basis. They keep each other well informed about the different options. They tend to talk only about the positive aspects of the migration process; no one wants to be seen as a crybaby. It’s possible they heard there was an opportunity, but I’ve almost never seen anyone here cross by swimming — only on a small boat,” she explains.

On social networks, alongside messages about the possible day for the attempt, dozens of people post photos of missing relatives or try to understand how to cross. One of the longest recent threads is a complex conversation about which type of inflatable boat is more useful, accompanied by an image more suited to children playing on the beach. “The Strait has a strong current, kayaks capsize. Better look for something serious; the sea is no laughing matter,” one person says. “I don’t advise you to go with that. I tried it: it capsizes quickly, and on top of that it can be punctured, it’s very thin,” another says. The list of risks in the Mediterranean Sea is not short: “Getting rammed by a ship, hitting a fish and having the boat deflate, or being capsized by an orca. And then there’s the swell and the watchtower. The probability is no more than 1%,” warns another.

Conspiracy theories about what happened last week or whether the sea barrier can be overcome by swimming open other lines of debate. “My husband went out to pray and saw someone running, without understanding what was going on. Around nine o’clock, I heard a commotion outside; I peeked out and saw kids running. I already knew people were crossing, but every so often I’d see five or six of them running down the street. Someone asked them what was going on, and one boy said, “Ceuta is open.” And he kept telling it to the next person, until chaos broke out. Cell phones made it all easier,” a woman explains on Facebook.

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The migrant crisis that overwhelmed Ceuta has now reached Spain’s highest criminal court, with judges investigating whether the mass crossings were more than a desperate rush for Europe. The key question is whether thousands of people crossed the border spontaneously, or whether somebody organised it. The Audiencia Nacional has opened preliminary proceedings following the unprecedented migrant surge into the Spanish enclave on July 30 and 31, ordering police to determine whether the crossings were coordinated by a criminal organisation.  

The move marks a significant new stage in one of Spain’s biggest migration crises in years. Rather than focusing solely on the migrants themselves, the investigation will examine whether criminal networks played a role in organising, directing or encouraging the crossings from neighbouring Morocco. At this stage, the court has reached no conclusion. It is seeking evidence to establish whether such an organisation existed. 

A city overwhelmed in just two days

The scenes in Ceuta shocked Spain, thousands of migrants reached the Spanish territory within hours, overwhelming emergency services, security forces and reception centres already operating under intense pressure. Many crossed around the Tarajal border area, while others entered the sea in an attempt to reach Spanish soil. The humanitarian consequences were devastating.

Dozens of people lost their lives during the crisis, while rescue teams, police officers and volunteers worked around the clock to recover survivors and provide emergency assistance.  The sheer scale of the crossings immediately raised questions. Could so many people have acted independently at the same time, or had somebody coordinated the operation? That is now the question before Spain’s National Court.

Police ordered to examine possible criminal involvement

Judge María Tardón has instructed the Comisaría General de Extranjería y Fronteras to prepare a detailed report examining what happened during the mass crossings. Investigators have been asked to determine whether the arrivals were “an action coordinated or directed by a criminal organisation.”  

If evidence points towards organised criminal involvement, the report must also identify any individuals or groups believed to have planned or facilitated the crossings.  The findings will help determine whether the Audiencia Nacional has jurisdiction to continue the criminal investigation,

The investigation follows a legal complaint

The proceedings were opened after a complaint was filed by Iustitia Europa, which alleges possible offences including crimes against state security, facilitating illegal immigration and involvement in a criminal organisation, opening preliminary proceedings does not mean the allegations have been proven.Under Spanish law, the purpose of these first steps is to establish whether there is enough evidence for a full criminal investigation to proceed, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has also been informed of the case. 

Migration pressure remains a political flashpoint

The events in Ceuta have reignited one of Spain’s most sensitive political debates. The North African enclave has long been one of the European Union’s external borders, making it a focal point whenever migration pressure increases. Previous mass crossings have triggered diplomatic tensions between Spain and Morocco, prompted changes to border security and fuelled political arguments over immigration policy.

The latest crisis has once again placed Ceuta under intense national and international scrutiny. While emergency services dealt with the immediate humanitarian response, politicians argued over responsibility, border security and Spain’s ability to cope with large-scale arrivals. Now the focus is shifting from the border itself to the courts.

What happens next?

The police report requested by Judge Tardón will play a crucial role in deciding whether the Audiencia Nacional continues the investigation. If investigators conclude there are indications that organised criminal networks coordinated the crossings, the court could expand its inquiries into those responsible. If no evidence of organised criminal activity is found, the case could instead remain within the jurisdiction of other courts dealing with immigration-related offences.

For now, the investigation remains in its earliest stages, what began as a humanitarian emergency at Spain’s southern border has become a judicial investigation with potentially significant legal and political consequences. The central question is no longer only how thousands of migrants reached Ceuta. Spain’s highest criminal court now wants to know whether someone helped make it happen.