Spanish police have uncovered a sophisticated underground tunnel used to smuggle hashish from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, authorities said on Tuesday.
The tunnel, hidden beneath an industrial warehouse, was equipped with a rail system and underground cranes designed to transport large quantities of drugs. Police said the structure spanned three levels, including a vertical access shaft, a storage chamber for pallets, and the main tunnel linking the two sides.
Authorities seized 17 metric tons of hashish and 1.4 million euros ($1.6 million) in cash during the operation, and arrested 27 suspects. Officials did not provide an estimate of the drugs’ street value.
Spain remains a key entry point for hashish into Europe, with Ceuta — along with Melilla — forming the European Union’s only land borders with Africa.
Hashish is typically trafficked into Spain by sea using high-speed boats, but authorities say traffickers continue to adopt increasingly complex methods to evade detection.
According to the latest data from the EU drugs agency, Spain accounted for 68% of all cannabis resin seizures in the bloc in 2023.
In other cases, smugglers have used unconventional routes and technology. In Spain’s northwestern region of Galicia, authorities have periodically intercepted submarines and semi-submersible vessels used to transport cocaine from South America, highlighting the country’s role as a major transit hub for drug trafficking into Europe.