The Spanish National Police announced on Wednesday the dismantling of two international criminal organizations specializing in hashish trafficking, as part of a joint operation carried out in close cooperation with Morocco’s General Directorate for National Security (DGSN).
This operation, also coordinated with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Tangier Court of Appeal, led to the seizure of 20 tonnes of hashish hidden in shipments of peppers on refrigerated trucks, the Spanish police said in a statement.
The investigations that made this seizure possible were initiated based on information exchanged with Moroccan authorities, which led to the identification of two truck convoys suspected of transporting large quantities of drugs.
The first convoy was intercepted in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in the province of Cádiz, where officers seized 12 tonnes of hashish concealed in hidden compartments behind crates of peppers. Fifteen individuals were arrested in connection with this first operation.
Three days later, a second operation in the province of Granada resulted in the seizure of an additional 8 tonnes of hashish and the arrest of five more individuals.
In total, twenty people were apprehended and placed in detention for drug trafficking and membership in a criminal organization.
The searches also led to the seizure of nine vehicles, including trucks and trailers, an automatic firearm, and more than 7,000 euros in cash.
The Spanish National Police, which praised the valuable cooperation of Moroccan authorities, emphasized that this joint operation demonstrates “the excellence of security cooperation between Morocco and Spain, based on mutual trust, effective coordination, and a shared commitment to combat transnational criminal networks involved in drug trafficking.”
