Spanish Court Upholds Sentences in 200kg Moroccan Hashish Smuggling Case

The three defendants had been sentenced by the Malaga court to prison terms of one to five years and nine months and fines ranging from 100,000 to one million euros. The Supreme Court has just confirmed these sentences. A fourth accused, the helicopter pilot, was acquitted, reports La Vanguardia.

One of the convicted individuals acquired the helicopter in the Verona region for 45,980 euros. On December 18, 2014, around 3 a.m., the aircraft took off from a farm in Estepona (Malaga) and headed towards Tetouan, from where it returned a few minutes later with seven drug packages that its occupants transferred to a vehicle, according to the prosecution.

The Civil Guard managed to intercept the helicopter and arrest the co-pilot who was carrying 2,350 euros in cash. The pilot, on the other hand, had fled. The third convicted individual, considered the "true head of the operation" by the judges, was arrested and several incriminating items were seized from his home.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the Malaga court, the three convicted individuals appealed to the Supreme Court, which has just rejected their request and confirmed their sentences. The Supreme Court judges emphasize the transfer "of more than two hundred kilograms of hashish resin on board a helicopter," highlighting the evidence against the defendants.