Spain's close ties with Latin America and proximity to Morocco, a top cannabis producer, make it a key entry point for drugs into Europe.
Spanish police said on Tuesday they had uncovered a technologically sophisticated and "maze-like" underground tunnel used to smuggle tonnes of hashish from Morocco to Spain's exclave of Ceuta and Europe.
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The investigation found the site in Ceuta concealed under an industrial warehouse that was protected by pumping and soundproofing systems to avoid detection, Spanish police said in a statement.
"A large-scale operation by the National Police against what investigators called the 'hashish network of networks' led to the discovery of a complex underground infrastructure designed to introduce tons of narcotics into our country," authorities said in a statement.
The bottom of the three-level tunnel, which led directly to Morocco, resembled "a maze typical of a mine", equipped with trolleys "that moved on a rail system of complex construction and characteristic of perfectly designed feats of engineering."
The bales of hashish were prepared and stored on the middle level, from where they were lifted "thanks to a system of cranes and pulleys designed to move heavy loads," the police said.
Police began their investigation in February 2025, seizing more than 17 tonnes of hashish and €1.4 million in cash in various operations in Ceuta and mainland Spain over several months.
They also made 27 arrests, including the network's two suspected leaders.
Spain's close ties with Latin America and proximity to Morocco, a top cannabis producer, make it a key entry point for drugs into Europe.
Its small Mediterranean coastal exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, adjacent to Morocco, share the European Union's only land borders with Africa.