Hashish between Morocco and Spain: traffickers’ ruse foiled, 20 tons seized and 20 arrests

The trucks were intercepted in Cadiz and Granada, as the criminals were about to extract the drugs to distribute them, explains the Spanish police in a statement. The investigation, led by the special anti-drug prosecutor’s office in Algeciras, in collaboration with the Attorney General of the Court of Appeal of Tangier and the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) of Morocco, was opened after suspicions about the existence of criminal organizations attempting to introduce large quantities of hashish into Europe using refrigerated trailer trucks.

The initial investigations made it possible to spot one of the vehicles on its arrival at the port of Algeciras. A police device was quickly put in place, resulting on October 21 in its interception as it was about to unload the drugs in a property in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in Cadiz. The police specified that throughout the journey, other members of the organization were carrying out counter-surveillance tasks on board other cars to alert of any police presence and secure the transport.

The agents discovered inside the trailer many boxes of green peppers concealing a false bottom where the bales containing 12,000 kilos of hashish were located. Fifteen people were arrested and detained after being brought before the competent judge. They are accused of drug trafficking offenses and membership in a criminal organization.

Three days later, the authorities detected another truck coming from Tangier to the port of Algeciras, which made a stop in an industrial warehouse in a town north of Granada to unload drugs hidden in boxes of peppers. About 8,000 kilos of hashish were seized and five people were arrested and prosecuted for drug trafficking and membership in a criminal organization. For the two operations, nine vehicles, including trucks, trailers, vans and private cars, as well as an automatic pistol and more than 7,000 euros were seized.