New blow for mafias of the drug trafficking. THE National Police dismantled in Algeciras (Cádiz), an organization that introduced large quantities of hashish coming from Morocco using narcodrones handcrafted in Ukraine. There is 10 people arrestedseven of whom have already been imprisoned, including a man of Ukrainian nationality considered to be the leader of the organization. The investigation estimates that the network would have introduced a ton of hashish since Morocco crossing the strait on night flights.
THE Operation Cyclone in early January, when investigators learned of the existence of a criminal network based in Gibraltar Field (Cádiz) and the Costa del Sol allegedly dedicated to transporting large quantities of drugs into our country by air.
Narcodrones had the capacity to transport more than 10 kilos of hashish on each flight and approximate autonomy of 100 kilometersmore than enough to cross the strait, round trip, without disembarking (14.4 kilometers separate the two coasts). They had been handmade in Ukraine then transported by road to southern Spain.
The devices, almost remote-controlled planes, were piloted from Morocco by individuals from Eastern Europe and dropped the cargo from the air in the Campo de Gibraltar, mainly to inhospitable areas in the middle of the field and difficult to enter. The drugs were placed in the belly of the drone using an automatic system which allowed it to be unloaded in the desired area and then retrieved on foot by other members of the organization. Flights depended on weather, temperature and air: on days when weather conditions were favorable, they could carry out five to 10 flights in a single night.
Those responsible for the investigation explained this Thursday during a press conference that the organization was led by a man of Ukrainian nationality, an expert in the use and manufacture of these fixed-wing planes. The chassis of these unmanned devices, which look like model airplaneswas composed mainly of cork and wood.
The Police believe that since the beginning of the investigation the network could have more than 100 flights and presented approximately 1,000 kilos of hashish using this method. Three planes were seized during the operation, including one in the construction phase, as well as remote control devices, repair tools and large sums of cash. Despite the enormous volume of traffic, officers only intervened 30 kilos of hashish.
🚩Disassembled into #Algeciras a network of “narcodrones” which operated between #Spain And #Morocco
👉The planes were manufactured in #Ukraine and transported by road to our country for use by criminal organizations based in the country. #CampoDeGibraltar and in the… pic.twitter.com/pwTSPFF7Fm
– National Police (@policia) November 28, 2024
The 10 members of the organization, detained during six searches in Campo de Gibraltar and Marbella (Málaga), were placed at the disposal of the Court of Instruction No. 5 of Algeciras, which ordered the entry in prison of seven of them.
This is not the first time that drug trafficking networks in the region have used unmanned transportation. In June, a narcosubmarine unmanned on the coasts of Cádiz and recently they intercepted drones which were used to introduce drugs into the Algeciras Prison.
