MADRID, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish National Police seized 2,700 kilos of hashish in an operation carried out in the town of Ayamonte in the southwest of the country, it was informed in a statement published on Friday.
The police said the operation began after they received information from Portuguese authorities of a vessel heading to the coast, apparently filled with packages used by smuggling gangs in the region to transport drugs.
The Spanish police detected a "suspicious object" which was travelling "without lights and a low speed" to the coast of Ayamonte, which is close to the border between Spain and Portugal.
Although police identified the object as a "12 meter boat with 3 outboard motors", they decided against intercepting it immediately and tracked it until reached land and the crew and "various individuals" began to unload its cargo.
It was then that the police moved in, arresting the suspects and seizing 90 packages containing hashish with a total weight of nearly 2,700 kilos.
The drug was destined to be distributed throughout the country, especially in the south, where it was to be sold to tourists.
Spain's position in the southwest corner of Europe, but 14 kilometers away from the coast of Morocco at the closest point, makes it the entry point for hashish produced in North Africa, as well as cocaine smuggled from south America.
2017 saw around 32 tons of cocaine seized by Spanish authorities, 15 tons more than that was seized in 2016.
