A Europe-wide operation led by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has resulted in the seizure of more than 700 vehicles, 34 boats and 41 boat engines, as well as the arrest of 334 people suspected of involvement in cross-border criminal activities.

The operation, known as Joint Action Days (JAD) Mobile 9, was conducted across 26 countries with support from the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) to combat cross-border crime, including vehicle theft, human smuggling and the trafficking of illicit goods.

According to a statement published by Frontex on October 26, the operation also led to the detection of 2,202 irregular migrants and the seizure of more than 7.4 tonnes of cocaine, 2.3 tonnes of cannabis and over 10.6 million cigarettes.

Other items seized included 115 vehicle spare parts, 127 forged documents, 44,600 benzodiazepine pills, more than 3,160 litres of alcohol, 80 firearms, 17 other weapons and 3,466 rounds of ammunition.

Authorities also recovered undeclared cash and suspected proceeds of crime worth €621,645, $24,500, £20,000 and 27,400 Polish zlotys.

The operation further resulted in the seizure of 38,259 counterfeit clothing items, 2,773 counterfeit perfumes and two drones allegedly used for smuggling.

The participating countries included Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, alongside other European countries and the Western Balkan states.

Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens said the operation demonstrated the importance of international cooperation and rapid information sharing in tackling cross-border criminal networks.

“A stolen car can cross several borders in a very short time. If we want to stop it, information has to travel just as quickly,” Leijtens said.

He added that cooperation among law enforcement agencies enabled officers in different countries to exchange intelligence and coordinate their responses.

During the operation, authorities conducted checks on 150,631 people, 129,286 vehicles, 39,322 documents, 2,721 boats and 1,393 boat engines at border crossing points and ports.

In 75 cases, the findings were linked to criminal networks and individuals classified as the Most Threatening Criminal Networks and Individuals (MTCNI) under the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT).

The cases resulted in 51 related arrests in Greece, Lithuania, Portugal and Spain. Frontex officers were also involved in 25 per cent of all stolen vehicle detections at the European Union’s external borders.

Several investigations during the operation highlighted the benefits of cross-border intelligence sharing.

In one case, information exchanged through Frontex’s coordination centre helped identify a vehicle stolen in Germany and located on a motorway near Warsaw, Poland.

Following the exchange of information between German and Polish authorities, Polish police intercepted the vehicle on the outskirts of Warsaw and arrested a suspect.

In another incident, cooperation between Serbian and Croatian authorities led to the interception of a vehicle stolen in France while it was being transported towards Serbia.

At the port of Genoa in Italy, Frontex officers, the Italian State Police and INTERPOL identified two vehicles stolen in Italy and destined for Tunisia. The vehicles had counterfeit registration documents and falsified identification numbers.

Authorities recovered their original identification numbers using an onboard diagnostic reader.

At the Tabanovce border crossing in North Macedonia, Frontex officers also assisted local authorities in detecting a counterfeit Slovenian driving licence. The document was confiscated, the driver detained and the case referred for further investigation.

The operation also included activities targeting stolen boats in Croatia, led by experts from Germany and the Netherlands with Frontex support, as well as awareness campaigns and enforcement activities at the port of Bari in Italy.

Beyond the field operations, Frontex organised online awareness sessions attended by approximately 1,300 participants. The sessions covered vehicle identification techniques, licence plate fraud, heavy machinery crime and cross-border vehicle theft.

The agency hosted the operation’s coordination centre at its headquarters in Warsaw from September 28 to October 9, 2026, where representatives from participating countries exchanged information and coordinated investigations in real time.

Frontex Standing Corps officers supported national authorities at border crossing points, ports and airports through additional inspections, document verification, vehicle examinations and interviews.

INTERPOL also deployed representatives from its headquarters in France, regional bureaux in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire, and National Central Bureaux in Canada and Morocco to assist in tracing stolen vehicles and facilitating seizures.

Liaison officers from the World Customs Organisation also participated in the operation.

Frontex coordinated the operation under EMPACT, while France served as the operational leader of JAD Mobile 9.

The agency said the operation demonstrated how rapid intelligence sharing and direct cooperation among national authorities could improve efforts to intercept stolen vehicles and other illicit goods before they reached their intended destinations.