MADRID, March 31 (Reuters) - Spanish police have discovered a drug-smuggling tunnel in the North African exclave of Ceuta, complete with a rail system and underground cranes to transport hashish from Morocco into Spain.
Police said in a statement on Tuesday that the structure, concealed beneath an industrial warehouse, extended over three levels, including a descent shaft, an intermediate chamber for pallet storage, and the tunnel itself.
Spain is a major entry point for hashish into Europe. Ceuta, along with the other Spanish exclave of Melilla to the east, forms the European Union's only land border with Africa.
Authorities seized 17 metric tons of the drug, 1.4 million euros ($1.6 million) in cash, and arrested 27 people in connection withthe operation. The police did not disclose the street value of the haul.
Hashish, derived from cannabis resin, is usually trafficked into Spain by sea using speedboats.
In 2023, Spain accounted for 68% of all resin seizures in the EU, according to the latest data from the EU drugs agency.
Smugglers have sometimes used unconventional methods to bring other drugs into Spain.
In the northwestern region of Galicia, submarines or semi-submersible vessels are periodically discovered transporting cocaine from South America, underscoring the country's role as a transit hub.
($1 = 0.8721 euros)
(Reporting by Paolo Laudani, editing by Andrei Khalip and Barbara Lewis)
