Spain says helicopter transporting 657kgs of hashish from Morocco seized

Spanish police on Saturday said they had thwarted a criminal gang that flew helicopters to smuggle hashish into the country from Morocco, in a rare operation against aerial drug trafficking.

The helicopters were capable of transporting between 500 and 900 kilogrammes of drugs, which were stored in rural estates and warehouses in southern Spain before distribution by road to other European countries, the Civil Guard said in a statement.

Police seized one of the helicopters, 657 kilogrammes of hashish, five firearms, cash and vehicles during raids in the provinces of Malaga, Almeria and Murcia.

Drone use

Six arrests were made in the operation, which also involved Moroccan, Belgian and Swedish law enforcement.

Spanish police have in the past year also uncovered networks that used drones to transport drugs from Morocco.