Spain Seizes Underwater Drones: Specially Designed To Carry Drugs From Morocco, Can Carry 200 Kilograms Each

JAKARTA - Spanish authorities have seized three drone submarines capable of transporting large quantities of illegal drugs from Morocco to Spain, securing a number of people.

Spanish police said on Monday they had seized the underwater drone and disbanded a gang believed to have built it. Eight people were arrested in Spain, police said.

"Three (drones), two of which are under construction and one which is practically finished, will be sent to French drug dealers, to transport large quantities of cocaine," the police said, citing The National News, July 5.

Each drone is capable of carrying 200 kilograms of product. Police said it was the first time they had seized such a device, officially known as an unmanned underwater vehicle.

"This device can allow drug dealers to transport large quantities of narcotics over long distances, across the Strait of Gibraltar," the police said.

The gang is also known to manufacture aerial drones, with police confiscating several large unmanned aerial vehicles with 12 motors each and a range of 30 kilometers, more than enough to cross the 15km strait between Spain and Morocco.

In addition, the gang turned fake tanks into vehicles for transporting drugs. Their customers include criminal gangs in Denmark, France, Italy, and Spain, police said.

It is known that Spain's physical proximity to Morocco, a major cannabis producer and its close links to former colonies in Latin America, a major cocaine-producing region, have made it a major entry point for drugs bound for Europe.