As reported by the Institute for Armament on Wednesday, the Civil Guard arrested nine suspected members of a criminal organization that used manually modified unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones) to transport hashish from Morocco. The arrestees, who have Russian, Ukrainian and Latvian nationalities, were based in the Cádiz town of Alcalá de los Gazelles (population 5,200), from where they flew planes at dawn, crossed the Channel under cover of darkness and loaded drugs in the African country. Once back on the peninsula, the drone released a package containing the drugs, which, once on the ground, was located by members of the organization using geolocation systems, audio signals, fluorescent lighting, and night surveillance equipment. The operation involved eight of these drones that are in operational condition and another 10 that will be adapted for this function.
It was christened Operation Roosh, which began last summer after private security forces, in cooperation with the Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie, detected unidentified drone flights between the two countries. In both cases, they were so-called fixed-wing drones, capable of flying over distances of more than 200 kilometers. Investigations revealed that those currently in custody fired up to a dozen devices at once from remote locations in the city of Alcalá de los Gasles. They did it at dawn, taking advantage of poor visibility. So, on days when the winds were light, the group began continuous flights between Morocco and the province of Cádiz, and was able to import up to 200 kilograms of hashish in one night.
Once loaded with drugs in Morocco, these sugar mills began repatriation flights. Those currently detained had installed a drone mechanism to release their cargo mid-flight upon arrival at scheduled collection areas, usually in the areas of Vejer de la Frontera and Tarifa. Members of the organization tasked with recovering the hashish then used night vision goggles to quickly locate the package, which was fitted with a fluorescent light. The drugs were then moved to a rented house in the countryside. nursery school (in police terminology, a place to hide drugs) until they are then distributed. Meanwhile, the drone continued its flight to land at the starting point again.
The investigation revealed that the group acquired aircraft from Chinese companies and then modified them at the factory “to give them greater autonomy, resistance and payload capacity,” the Civil Guard stressed in a note. To achieve this, they “adopted electronic systems and reinforced the fuselage with lighter materials,” ultimately creating a “unique and highly efficient model for drug delivery,” he added. In addition to the eight drones that were already modified and in use at the time of the arrest, investigators found an additional 10 new drones, some still in their original packaging, which appeared to be intended to expand the range of vehicles used for trafficking.
During the investigation, agents managed to capture the organization’s vehicle on Oct. 22 after a chase that left several agents injured. Inside the vehicle, the Civil Guard used these drones to seize 57.2 kg of hashish, which was brought into Spain. Finally, last Monday, investigators carried out a major operation that included eight more arrests and five raids in the towns of Alcalá de los Gazelles, Vejer de la Frontera, Algeciras and San Roque. In addition to the drone and the workshop, 150 kilograms of hashish and 320,000 euros in cash were seized. The European Union Police Cooperation Agency (Europol) participated in the investigation led by the 4th Investigative Court in Algeciras and the Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office in Campo de Gibraltar.
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