Ceuta Tunnel Scandal: Morocco Criminal Networks Accused of Trafficking Drugs, Weapons, and Migrants into Spain
The underground tunnels linking Morocco to Spain, in particular the ones going through the city of Ceuta, were not used solely to smuggle Moroccan cannabis, but also to traffic weapons and migrants illegally, Spanish media outlet La Gaceta reported on Wednesday.
Entitled “The drug traffickers acknowledge that the passage from Morocco to Ceuta was used for the entry of illegal immigrants,” the Iberian daily said that various legal sources and individuals involved in drug trafficking investigations stressed that such infrastructure was not exclusively designed to transport narcotics.
Citing reports by Spanish newspaper La Raz?n, La Gaceta noted that numerous specialists consulted by La Raz?n agreed that this was not an isolated case, but rather a more widespread operation within criminal networks.
“In addition to illicit substances, these underground tunnels also facilitated the transport of weapons and even migrants, who paid significant sums of money to the organizations,” the specialists consulted by La Raz?n said, as cited by the same source.
According to La Gaceta, this hypothesis aligns with the suspicions of police sources who cited recent incidents in which migrants appeared without their entry route being precisely established, fueling the theory that the tunnels may have served for multiple illegal purposes.
Regarding the recently discovered tunnel linking Morocco and Ceuta, La Gaceta highlighted that “the investigation launched by Spanish police is still ongoing to reveal all the details surrounding the network,” noting that some officers handling the case told the media outlet that “the structure began operating after the closure of the industrial building of Tarajal industrial park, where the tunnel’s entry was located.” Based on a report issued by the Anti-Narcotics and Organised Crime Unit (UDYCO), La Gaceta stressed that “the case has already implicated around 30 individuals, each with a specific role within the network, including logistics, planning, storage, and drug transport.” In this regard, “wiretaps had enabled investigators to identify Mustapha Chairi Brouzi, a Moroccan nicknamed ‘the king of tunnels,’ as the suspected ringleader of the network,” La Gaceta added.
According to the investigation, this individual has directed the construction of a complex multi-level infrastructure, equipped with pulley and crane systems, and capable of transporting up to eight tonnes of drugs per month.” The Spanish newspaper concluded its report by noting that “on the judicial front, the case had been handed to the National Court after the Ceuta court, which had initially investigated it, declared itself lacking jurisdiction given the scale of the case,” adding that “the head of the Central Court had ordered a separate investigation to be opened in order to pursue the additional inquiries requested by the Prosecutor’s Office.”
(APS)
