Drug-Laden Drones from Morocco Intercepted in Spanish Enclave of Ceuta

The agents managed to intercept the narcodrone as the recipient was about to collect his package. Of Maghrebi origin, he caused a power outage in the El Principe neighborhood, plunging some nearby streets near the Tarajal border post into darkness, before climbing onto the roof of a building to unload the drug from the drone. But thanks to the night surveillance cameras, a National Police officer observed the scene and, arriving a hundred meters from the scene, pointed a radioactive wave rifle at the drone that damaged its system. The device was carrying about half a kilo of Moroccan hashish, reports El Mundo, which specifies that these narcodrones make between 10 and 12 trips per night in the El Príncipe neighborhood.

To read: Narco-Drones Surge in Drug Trafficking Between Morocco and Spanish Enclave Ceuta

Thanks to this inhibitor rifle, with a maximum range of two kilometers, the police have already seized about thirty drones since the beginning of this year. "They tried, saw that it worked and continued. They reduce the risks because they know that, unless we conduct a thorough investigation that can take months, we won’t catch them. They will lose the merchandise but have the opportunity to try again by buying another drone," explains the inspector and head of the Drugs and Organized Crime Unit (UDYCO) in Ceuta.

To read: Spanish Police Seize Drug-Smuggling Drones at Morocco-Ceuta Border

Jalal El Loco, a drug trafficker from Ceuta killed by gunfire in December 2020, is one of the pioneers of drone trafficking. "He made a big investment to supply the local drug market that was no longer entering through Tarajal. He bought a first drone for 12,000 euros. Then he bought another one for 20,000 euros that allowed him to transport up to 25 kilos of hashish from Morocco to Ceuta in just ten minutes. Imagine what he achieved in terms of profitability," says the UDYCO inspector.

To read: Drone Intercepted in Ceuta: Drug Traffickers Turn to High-Tech Smuggling Methods

The National Police and the Civil Guard have opened parallel investigations after detecting Jalal’s gang’s narcodrones. In February 2021, they carried out a joint operation in the streets of El Príncipe, which led to the arrest of four people and the seizure of equipment used to repair drones, computer equipment, two firearms including an assault rifle, a bulletproof vest and 1,920 Rivotril tablets of two milligrams packaged and "ready to be transported to Morocco".