MADRID: Spanish police said Wednesday they had arrested nine people and dismantled a criminal network that used homemade drones “with exceptional range” to transport hashish from Morocco to Spain.
The drones would depart from southern Spain to pick up the drugs in Morocco and return, releasing the cargo over Vejer de la Frontera and Tarifa in Cadiz province, Spain’s Guardia Civil police force said in a statement.
Packages were equipped with fluorescent markers and radio-linked geolocation devices to aid night-time recovery, it added.
Police said the group manufactured the drones, which were capable of flying over 200 kilometers (120 miles) using components brought from Asian suppliers at a workshop in Alcala de los Gazules.
“The group developed homemade drones with exceptional range, accuracy, and carrying capacity, well beyond that of standard commercial models,” the statement said.
The network operated nearly every night, launching up to 10 drones simultaneously and moving roughly 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of hashish in a single night.
The operation, dubbed “Ruche” which means “beehive” in French, was carried out in cooperation with the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie after authorities detected multiple unidentified drone flights between the two countries.
Police seized eight drones, and another 10 which were being built, in five raids carried out Monday in southern Spain, along with over 150 kilograms of hashish and 320,000 euros ($370,000) in cash.
Nine people have been arrested so far.
Northern Morocco is just 14 kilometers from Spain’s southern Andalusia region at the Strait of Gibraltar’s narrowest point.
Spain is a major entry point for hashish into Europe because of its proximity to Morocco, a key producer of the drug.
Last year, Spanish police busted a criminal network that used Ukrainian-made drones to fly hashish from Morocco to Spain.
The devices used by that group were capable of transporting up to just 10 kilograms of drugs per trip and had an autonomy of more than 50 kilometers.