Spanish police seize over eight tonnes of hashish

Spanish police said Thursday they had seized more than eight tonnes of hashish in two operations in the southern province of Cadiz, where drug traffickers are operating in an increasingly brazen manner that has alarmed authorities.

Officers seized around 2.5 tonnes of hashish from a house in a rural area near the port of Algeciras on Wednesday night after a tense standoff with suspected traffickers who had barricaded themselves inside, police said in a statement.

The police were targeted by “at least six shots from inside the house”, some of which only narrowly missed officers, it added.

The four suspects inside the house gave themselves up after two hours of negotiation and were arrested.

Earlier on Wednesday, police seized more than six tonnes of hashish hidden in the basement of a house in the poverty stricken town of La Linea de la Concepcion on the border with Gibraltar, the disputed British territory on Spain’s southern tip.

The entrance to the basement was hidden by the floor of a shower. A video released by police showed how the shower’s floor could easily be opened by a hydraulic system activated by a remote control.

Police arrested one man during the operation, while several others managed to flee.

Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido in February vowed to send more police to Cadiz after around 20 people stormed a hospital in La Linea and freed a suspected narco who was under police guard.

In other cases traffickers have openly defied security forces by unloading drugs in broad daylight.

Spain’s proximity to Morocco, a key source of cannabis, and its close ties with former colonies in Latin America, a major cocaine producing region, have made it an important gateway for international drug dealers.

According to the interior ministry, 40 percent of all drugs that come to Spain arrive via Cadiz.