A Spain-led international operation supported by Frontex has seized 460 firearms, more than 19,000 rounds of ammunition, over 21kg of explosives and large quantities of drugs during coordinated action days across South-East Europe.
A large-scale international operation targeting cross-border criminal networks has led to the seizure of hundreds of firearms, ammunition, explosives and major drug shipments, according to a Frontex announcement published on 2 May.
The coordinated action days were carried out from 23 to 27 March 2026 across South-East Europe. The operation was led by Spain and brought together law enforcement authorities from EU member states, partner countries and international organisations. It focused on illicit firearms trafficking and other forms of serious organised cross-border crime, including drug trafficking and the use of increasingly sophisticated concealment methods.
Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, supported the operation through officers from its Standing Corps. The agency said it contributed to coordination efforts, provided operational and technical expertise across several locations, and facilitated information exchange between participating authorities.
According to Frontex, officers from its Standing Corps were deployed across all operational contingents. They supported local law enforcement coordination in Tirana, Albania, as well as in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Greece, including at the port of Patras.
Their work included support for border checks, surveillance activity and targeted controls. Frontex said the aim was to help national authorities identify high-risk movements and detect illicit goods transported across borders.
As part of the Joint Action Days, Frontex also coordinated a specialised operational workshop in Bulgaria, in cooperation with national and international partners. Those involved included Bulgarian authorities, the Belgian Federal Police, the OSCE, INTERPOL, Luxembourg Customs and the UK National Crime Agency.
The workshop focused on detecting increasingly sophisticated concealment methods in vehicles used for trafficking illicit goods. It was complemented by targeted action days at border crossing points with Serbia and North Macedonia.
The results reported by Frontex were substantial. Authorities seized 460 firearms, confiscated 19,214 rounds of ammunition and detected more than 21kg of explosives. They also intercepted large quantities of drugs, including more than one tonne of cocaine, more than 430kg of heroin, and significant amounts of cannabis, amphetamine and synthetic drugs.
The operation also led to 904 arrests and 540 refusals of entry. Frontex did not give a full country-by-country breakdown of the seizures or arrests in its public statement.
The scale of the seizures points to the overlap between firearms trafficking, drug trafficking and wider organised crime routes in and around the EU’s external border regions. Weapons, ammunition, explosives and drugs can move through linked networks, often using concealment methods adapted to road, port and border environments.
The South-East Europe dimension is significant for EU security policy. The region connects EU member states with the Western Balkans, the Black Sea area and wider trafficking routes. It is also a space where cooperation between EU agencies, national authorities and non-EU partner countries is central to operational enforcement.
Participating EU member states included Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Sweden. Partner countries included Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine.
The operation was also supported by Europol and INTERPOL. Their involvement reflects the cross-border nature of the networks targeted and the need to link border activity with criminal intelligence and law enforcement databases.
For Frontex, the operation illustrates the agency’s role beyond migration management. Its work at the EU’s external borders increasingly includes support against organised crime, illicit goods, document fraud, weapons trafficking and other security threats linked to cross-border movement.
The case also demonstrates the value of coordinated action days. Such operations allow police, border guards, customs officials and international agencies to act simultaneously across several jurisdictions, increasing the chances of detecting linked movements and disrupting criminal logistics.
