US EditionSpanish Police Bust Underground Hashish Route From Morocco
The tunnel operated for years, moving hashish with minimal human involvement; Spain accounted for 68% of EU resin seizures in 2023, police said.
- On Tuesday, Spanish police discovered a sophisticated drug-smuggling tunnel in the North African exclave of Ceuta, featuring a rail system and underground cranes built beneath an industrial warehouse to transport hashish from Morocco into Spain.
- Ceuta and the neighboring exclave of Melilla form the European Union's only land border with Africa, making Spain a major entry point for hashish and accounting for 68% of all resin seizures in the European Union.
- Authorities seized 17 metric tons of hashish and €1.4 million in cash, arresting 27 people. The tunnel's sophisticated engineering allowed smugglers to move large quantities of drugs into Europe with minimal human involvement.
- While smugglers typically transport hashish into Spain via sea using speedboats, this tunnel system reflects a technological leap. In Galicia, criminal networks periodically utilize semi-submersible vessels to transport cocaine from South America.
- Authorities are now launching a deeper inquiry into the criminal network's operations, suspecting additional tunnels exist in the area. The discovery reveals a coordinated effort to bypass one of the continent's most heavily monitored borders.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Sueddeutsche Zeitung
Spectacular blow against the drug mafia: In Ceuta, a Spanish exclave on the northern coast of Africa, a tunnel system is dug out. Investigators marvel at the sophisticated construction.
The Spanish police have made an extraordinary discovery. Behind a huge soundproof refrigerator, the officials discovered a drug smuggling tunnel – extremely well developed and even equipped with rails. Over the tunnel, hashish was smuggled from Morocco to Europe. For a year, the police had been investigating this "miner-like labyrinth" before they finally discovered it. The drug smuggling tunnel is strategically well placed. The exit of the tunn…
Observador
Noticias ao MinutoTonuel was under an industrial warehouse and "camped behind a refrigerator". His architecture allowed him to transfer the gap between the two countries "with direct visual contact" between the traders.
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