Guardia Civil units in Tarragona and Melilla spent almost a year investigating a Melilla-based organisation smuggling hashish from the north African coast to mainland Spain.[1] The first result came on 11 June, when the Guardia Civil vessel Río Miño detected a zodiac launch heading for the Málaga coast; those aboard threw cargo overboard and tried to flee, but officers boarded and found 76 bundles of hashish weighing 2,300 kilos, arresting everyone aboard.[1]
The find was kept quiet while the investigation continued, and five further arrests followed in Madrid, Alicante, Valencia and Melilla, including the man believed to be the ringleader.[1] The Melilla man had supplied traffickers with modified high-speed boats piloted by experienced Galician seamen, and had secured the cooperation of members of local Spanish police forces prepared to turn a blind eye to incoming shipments.[1] As well as more than two tons of hashish, officers confiscated three motor vehicles and two high-speed boats; all seven arrested are Spanish nationals whose case went to the national courts, with further arrests not ruled out.[1]
