Stolen cars, boats and engines, together with more than 7.4 tonnes of cocaine and 10.6 million cigarettes, were seized in operation Joint Action Days (JAD) Mobile 9 across 26 countries against cross-border crime, led by Frontex and supported by INTERPOL.
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More than 700 vehicles and 34 boats seized, 334 arrested in Europe-wide operation led by Frontex
2026-10-26
The operation in numbers:
710 vehicles seized
34 boats and 41 boat engines seized
115 vehicle spare parts seized
127 forged documents seized
334 people arrested
2 202 irregular migrants detected
7 455 kg of cocaine and 2 389 kg of cannabis
44 600 benzodiazepine pills
10 612 554 cigarettes and 23 kg of raw tobacco
more than 3 160 litres of alcohol
80 firearms, 17 other weapons and 3 466 rounds of ammunition
EUR 621 645, USD 24 500, GBP 20 000 and PLN 27 400 – undeclared cash and proceeds of crime
38 259 counterfeit clothing items and 2 773 counterfeit perfumes
two drones used for smuggling
Participating countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain, together with Albania, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Switzerland.
“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. That means officers in different countries sharing what they know and acting on it together. This operation shows what that cooperation can achieve. Frontex helps make it possible, but it is the people on the ground who deliver the results,” said Hans Leijtens, Executive Director of Frontex.
Officers carried out checks at border crossing points and ports, covering 150 631 people, 129 286 vehicles, 39 322 documents, 2 721 boats and 1 393 boat engines. They targeted stolen vehicles as well as the drugs, cash, weapons and other illicit goods smuggled with them. In 75 cases, the findings were linked to the Most Threatening Criminal Networks and Individuals (MTCNI) targeted under EMPACT, with 51 related arrests in Greece, Lithuania, Portugal and Spain. In total, Frontex officers were involved in 25% of all stolen vehicle detections at the external borders.
From shared information to arrests
Several significant cases highlighted the value of international cooperation. During the operation, information exchanged through the Coordination Centre at Frontex enabled the identification of a vehicle stolen in Germany and located on a motorway near Warsaw. The information was passed down to officers in the field, and close cooperation between German and Polish colleagues allowed the Polish police to stop the vehicle on the outskirts of Warsaw and arrest the suspect. In another case, rapid information sharing between authorities in Serbia and Croatia resulted in the interception of a vehicle stolen in France while it was transiting towards Serbia.
At the port of Genoa, Frontex officers, the Italian Polizia di Stato, and INTERPOL identified two cars stolen in Italy and bound for Tunisia, with counterfeit registration documents and falsified vehicle identification numbers, and recovered the original numbers with an on-board diagnostic reader. At Tabanovce border crossing point in North Macedonia, Frontex officers assisted the national authorities in identifying a counterfeit Slovenian driving licence during additional vehicle and document checks. The document was confiscated, the driver was detained, and the case was referred for further investigation. The operation also included a stolen boats activity in Croatia, led by experts from Germany and the Netherlands with the support of Frontex officers, as well as an awareness roadshow and three action days at the port of Bari.
Coordinating action across borders
In parallel with the operational activities, Frontex organised a series of online awareness sessions attended by approximately 1 300 participants. Experts delivered presentations on licence plate fraud, heavy machinery crime, cross-border vehicle crime and vehicle identification techniques, further strengthening operational cooperation and knowledge sharing among participating authorities.
Frontex hosted the coordination centre at its headquarters in Warsaw from 28 September to 9 October 2026, where national representatives worked side by side to exchange information in real time and follow up cases across borders. In the field, Frontex Standing Corps officers supported the national authorities at border crossing points, ports and airports with second-line checks, document and vehicle examinations and interviews.
Interpol supported the operation with representatives from its headquarters in France, Regional Bureaus in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire, and National Central Bureaus in Canada and Morocco, who helped track vehicles and facilitate seizures. Liaison officers from the World Customs Organization (WCO) were also present.
Motor vehicle crime is time-sensitive, as stolen vehicles can be moved across several countries within a very short time. The operation showed the value of fast information exchange and direct cooperation between national authorities, which increases the chances to stop vehicles before they reach their final destination. Frontex is the Action Leader and coordinator under EMPACT, the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats, while France acted as the operational leader for JAD Mobile 9.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
