Spanish police have discovered an underground tunnel linking Moroccan territory to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, believed to have been used for drug smuggling, authorities announced on Wednesday.
The tunnel, measuring several dozen metres in length and running 12 metres underground, was found during a search of a warehouse in an industrial area of Ceuta. The Civil Guard stated that the structure, reinforced with wood, was likely used to transport hashish between Morocco and Spain.
Spanish media reported that the tunnel stretched at least 50 metres inside Moroccan territory, though investigators have yet to determine its full length and endpoint.
The tunnel’s discovery was part of Operation Hades, an ongoing police operation targeting criminal gangs smuggling hashish into Spain via trucks. Authorities have arrested 14 people over the past three weeks, including two police officers, and seized 6,000 kilos of the drug.
Ceuta, a small Spanish territory on Morocco’s northern Mediterranean coast, is a key transit point for drug trafficking between North Africa and Europe. The existence of the tunnel highlights the sophisticated methods used by smugglers to evade law enforcement.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the full extent of the tunnel and whether it was used for other illicit activities.
