Spanish police broke up two gangs that flew hashish from Morocco into Spain by helicopter on low night flights, arresting fifteen people.[1] Police detained seven French nationals, six Spaniards and two Moroccans, and seized 810 kg of hashish and three helicopters worth €2.5 million.[1] The gangs flew the drug to remote farms in Málaga province on the Costa del Sol and moved it overland to other European countries.[1]
The smugglers used a veteran flight instructor skilled in mountain rescue and night flying, who recruited and trained their pilots; he was caught delivering 600 kg by helicopter while training another pilot.[1] The fifteen suspects were charged with drug trafficking, belonging to an organised crime group and illegal possession of arms.[1] Police said the inquiry began in May 2014, when a hashish-laden helicopter hit power cables at night in southern Spain, killing its pilot.[1]
