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Rabat – Spanish authorities arrested eight people in Malaga and Melilla as part of a sweeping operation against a criminal group accused of moving hashish from Morocco and laundering the profits across Spain.
According to Spanish media outlets, investigations by the national police’s anti-narcotics unit revealed a sophisticated structure that combined drug trafficking with a front business used to legitimize illicit earnings.
The organization’s primary route began across the Mediterranean, with shipments of hashish arriving by sea from Morocco. Officers began tracking the group from Malaga with their focus on its suspected ringleader and an associate. Their movements in Almeria raised suspicions about an imminent drug delivery.
Acting on this intelligence, police coordinated with the Guardia Civil and seized 1,500 kilograms of hashish, arresting five individuals at the scene.
Further searches in Malaga and Melilla uncovered what investigators described as the group’s financial engine. In Melilla, two women, spouses of the group’s alleged leaders, ran a small food and beverage company.
On the surface, the business sold everyday items, but behind closed doors, it served another purpose: recycling drug money into the legal economy.
Officers froze over €250,000 spread across several bank accounts, and confiscated €350,000 in cash, in addition to vehicles, electronics, and a firearm.
Police also seized GPS trackers and multiple mobile phones, tools the group likely used to monitor and coordinate their maritime operations.
All eight suspects now remain in custody as authorities continue to investigate the group’s full scope of activity. The case points to the enduring link between hashish trafficking and financial crime in Spain, especially in coastal areas that serve as gateways for drugs arriving from North Africa.
