Spain Expands Probe Into Morocco-Based Drug Network Linked to Ceuta “Secret Tunnel”
Investigations are continuing in Spain into an international drug trafficking network operating from Morocco to Spain and other European countries, via a recently discovered “secret tunnel” in the city of Ceuta, with Spanish police revealing that the tunnel was used in six major smuggling operations involving illicit drugs from Morocco, as well as for transporting large sums of money generated from international drug trafficking.
According to Spanish media reports, the case, handled by Spain’s National Court, is experiencing rapid developments. A new report is expected from the Central Unit for Drugs and Organized Crime (UDYC), containing information about the possible reach of the network and its operational routes inside and outside Spain, as part of what is known as “Operation Ares.” Additional investigative measures may also be authorized to expand the scope of the inquiry and uncover the full extent of the network.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the network relied on a coordinated logistical structure to smuggle cannabis resin from Morocco into Ceuta, before transporting it to various Spanish cities and then on to European destinations, through a multi-cell network active between Ceuta and several regions within Spain, reflecting a highly organized and transnational criminal structure.
Spanish police have linked the network to six major smuggling operations in recent months, most notably the seizure of 15 tons of cannabis resin hidden inside a truck in the city of Almer?a, in addition to hundreds of kilograms confiscated in different neighborhoods in Ceuta and other Spanish cities, including M?laga.
Police stated that the discovered “secret tunnel” in the Tarajal area served as a key crossing point within the smuggling system. It was used to move quantities of cannabis resin into Ceuta before being distributed through a network that relied on speedboats and vehicles equipped with advanced concealment methods.
The investigation has also expanded to include the financial aspect, with authorities seizing large sums of money in Algésiras last February, suspected to be linked to drug trafficking proceeds. Spanish courts continue to trace the case’s leads, amid reports of no judicial cooperation from Morocco in identifying the network’s possible extensions.
Spanish media reports also claim that Morocco has refused to cooperate with Spanish judicial authorities in the investigation of the cannabis resin tunnels, including the most recent one, despite its location in a highly secured area under strict surveillance and near a military base.
