Spanish police on Tuesday said they had uncovered a sprawling, technologically sophisticated and “maze-like” underground tunnel used to smuggle tons of hashish from Morocco to Spain’s North African exclave of Ceuta and Europe.
Police said in a news release on Tuesday that the structure was hidden beneath a warehouse and extended over three levels, including a descent shaft and a chamber for drug storage. Police said the group operating the tunnel had installed pumping and soundproofing systems that “kept the infrastructure operational without arousing suspicion.”
The bottom of the tunnel, which led directly to Morocco, resembled “a maze typical of a mine,” equipped with trolleys “that moved on a rail system of complex construction and characteristic of perfectly designed feats of engineering.”
The bales of hashish were prepared and stored on the middle level, from where they were lifted “thanks to a system of cranes and pulleys designed to move heavy loads”, the police said.
The entire structure is 19 62 feet deep, but investigators cannot determine how long the tunnel is “because it is flooded,” the officer responsible for the operation, Antonio Martinez, explained at a press conference.
The tunnel, measuring about four feet high and nearly three feet wide, was “well-equipped” and “purpose-built” by “an extremely powerful organization” that contacted other groups to transport the drug in speedboats and fishing vessels, he added.
Authorities released video of the bust, showing officers raiding the tunnel and seizing evidence.
Police began their investigation in February 2025, seizing more than 17 tons of hashish and $1.6 million in cash in various operations in Ceuta and mainland Spain over several months.
Leave a Reply