Ceuta, Spain – Spanish National Police have uncovered a sophisticated underground tunnel in Ceuta used to smuggle massive quantities of hashish into Spain, following months of investigation into an international drug network.

The hidden tunnel was camouflaged behind a large soundproof refrigerator and featured three levels: a descent shaft, an intermediate storage chamber, and a final line leading to Morocco. The complex design allowed pallets of hashish to be moved without direct visual contact between participants, using rails, wagons, pulleys, and cranes. Powerful pumps managed underground water while soundproofing kept operations undetected.

Two individuals led the operation. One, based in Morocco, dubbed the “narcoarchitect” and “tunnel boss,” was also suspected of running a similar tunnel discovered the previous year. The second, in Ceuta, handled negotiations and controlled all seized drugs.

Authorities executed a large-scale operation involving over 250 officers across Andalucía, Galicia, and Ceuta. The raids resulted in 27 arrests and the seizure of more than 17 tons of hashish, 1.43 million euros in cash, 66 communication devices, and 15 luxury vehicles.

Investigators documented multiple methods of transport used by the network, including high-capacity trucks, high-speed boats along Andalusian coasts, and river routes via the Guadalquivir. Significant seizures during the year included 15,000 kilos intercepted in Almería and 480 kilos in Málaga. Earlier operations had also linked residential properties to the network after smaller hashish finds.

The National Police highlighted the tunnel’s engineering sophistication and the organization’s ability to adapt routes after major drug interceptions. The operation has been described as dismantling what investigators call the “network of networks” for hashish trafficking in Spain.

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