(Adnkronos) – Spanish police reported arresting nine people and dismantling a criminal network that used artisanal drones with ”exceptional range” to transport hashish from Morocco to Spain. The drones, explained the Spanish Civil Guard in a statement, departed from southern Spain to load the drugs in Morocco and returned to Vejer de la Frontera and Tarifa, in the province of Cadiz, where they released their cargo. Police explained that the drug packages were equipped with fluorescent markers and radio geolocation devices to facilitate recovery during night hours, when up to 200 kilograms of hashish were transferred in a single night.
In the statement, police specified that the criminal group had manufactured the drones by hand, using components from Asian suppliers in a workshop in Alcala de los Gazules. The drones were capable of flying for over 200 kilometers. “The group developed artisanal drones with exceptional range, precision, and load capacity, far beyond standard commercial models,” the police statement read. The network was active almost every night, launching up to 10 drones simultaneously and moving approximately 200 kilograms of hashish in a single night.
The operation, named “Ruche”, or “beehive”, was conducted in collaboration with the Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie after authorities identified several unidentified drone flights between the two countries. Spanish police seized eight drones and another 10 under construction during five raids carried out in southern Spain, along with over 150 kilograms of hashish and 320,000 euros in cash. Last year, Spanish police dismantled a criminal network that used Ukrainian-made drones to transport hashish from Morocco to Spain.
