Spanish police announced Wednesday the seizure of 20 tonnes of cannabis hidden in two refrigerated trucks loaded with peppers from Morocco, and the arrest of 20 individuals belonging to two dismantled criminal networks.
The cannabis was concealed in double compartments hidden behind crates of green peppers and shipped to the Spanish port of Algeciras (south), one of Europe’s largest, before being transported by road across Spain.
The trucks, which departed from Tangier in northern Morocco, “were intercepted in Cadiz and Granada (southern Spain) while the drugs were being unloaded for distribution,” the police said in a statement.
Police said they had “dismantled” two “criminal organizations involved in major drug trafficking” during the two operations.
Twenty suspects were arrested and placed in pretrial detention “for drug trafficking and membership in a criminal organization,” the police added. Several vehicles, more than 7,000 euros in cash, and a handgun were also seized.
Spain is a major entry point for drug trafficking into Europe, due mainly to its proximity to Morocco, one of the world’s leading cannabis producers.
