Drug trafficker tunnel found between Spanish enclave, Morocco

Spanish police said Wednesday they had discovered a tunnel running from Moroccan territory to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta as part of an operation targeting suspected trafficking of hashish.

The police stated the underground gallery, several dozen metres long and 12 metres deep, was uncovered during a search of a warehouse in an industrial zone of Ceuta, a small territory located on Morocco's northern Mediterranean coast opposite mainland Spain.

"It is a narrow construction, reinforced with wood which could have been used to transport drugs between Morocco and Spain", said a statement from the Civil Guard police force.

Spanish media reported the tunnel as measuring at least 50 metres long, running just inside Moroccan territory.

It could, however, prove even longer, with authorities yet to determine where it ends.

The discovery came during an operation targeting several criminal gangs accused of smuggling hashish into Spain in lorries.

The police said the crackdown, dubbed Operation Hades, has led to the arrest of 14 people over the past three weeks, including two policemen, and the discovery of 6,000 kilos of the drug.