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Rabat – Spanish police reported this morning apprehending members of a drug-trafficking ring operating between Morocco and southern Spain.
The drug ring smuggles hashish and marijuana from Morocco to southern Spain using helicopters then transports the drugs to France by road, according to Spanish police.
Police allegedly seized 2.4 tonnes of hashish and 112 kilograms of marijuana, in addition to three helicopters, firearms, and ammunition.
Spanish police also apprehended 11 people involved in the trafficking, nine of whom are listed as fugitives in France.
Relying on the short distance separating Morocco and Spain, the drug trafficking ring flies the hashish and marijuana over the Mediterranean sea. The drugs are then concealed in trucks and a tour bus with fake plates to the north of France.
Police suspect the ring uses front companies to launder the sales money.
The European Union’s crime agency, Europol, and French police also took part in the operation, according to Guardian Civil, a news outlet.
Given Spain’s geographical proximity to Morocco, only 15 kilometers by sea, many smugglers use the country as an entry point to Europe.
Today’s operation is the latest in a series of similar police interceptions of smuggling rings between Spain and Morocco.
In December 2021, the Spanish Civil Guard apprehended a Moroccan mobster who was smuggling cannabis resin and cocaine, according to Spanish media outlets.
After a two-year investigation, the Spanish Civil guard made the arrest of the smuggler, who is believed to be the head of an international trafficking network.
The suspect was detained alongside 16 members of the ring operating in the Spanish region of Campo de Gibraltar. The police believe the man had plans to expand his operations to include South America.
The arrest came at a critical time when the 43-year-old started to expand his network of criminal activities by importing cocaine from Colombia and then smuggling it to Europe through the Gulf of Guinea.
Read Also: Spain: Civil Guards Arrest Major Moroccan Cannabis Resin and Cocaine Smuggler
