Rabat – Spanish authorities have dismantled a criminal organization accused of transporting hashish and cocaine from Morocco to Spain using high-speed drones, dealing a major blow to cross-border drug trafficking operations in the Strait of Gibraltar.
According to Spanish news outlet El Faro de Ceuta, the network operated mainly in the provinces of Cádiz and Álava, using unmanned fixed-wing aircraft to smuggle narcotics from Morocco into southern Spain before distributing them onward to France.
Dubbed “Operation Horus,” the investigation began in 2025 and uncovered an advanced trafficking method involving large drones capable of crossing the Strait of Gibraltar within minutes. Authorities said the aircraft were used to transport both hashish and cocaine by air, bypassing traditional maritime smuggling routes.
Once the drugs arrived in Spain, members of the organization allegedly concealed them inside vehicles equipped with hidden compartments and false bottoms before transporting them northward. The narcotics were reportedly taken to the Basque city of Vitoria, where they were distributed to criminal groups of French origin involved in drug trafficking networks across Europe.
During the course of the investigation, police intercepted one of the drones used in the operation. Authorities described it as a large fixed-wing aircraft with a four-meter wingspan and four engines, capable of carrying up to 20 kilograms of cargo.
Investigators said the drones could travel at speeds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour, allowing traffickers to move drugs rapidly across the narrow maritime border separating Morocco and Spain.
The operation culminated in five coordinated raids in Algeciras and Vitoria, leading to the arrest of eight suspects.
Spanish police also seized 40 kilograms of hashish, two kilograms of cocaine, two vehicles allegedly used for drug transportation, €14,000 in cash, and one of the drones linked to the criminal organization, in addition to several other items connected to the trafficking operation.
