Spain Seizes 20 Tons of Cannabis Hidden in Pepper Trucks from Morocco

Spanish police have seized 20 tons of cannabis resin smuggled in refrigerated trucks carrying peppers from Morocco, authorities announced on Wednesday.

According to Spain’s National Police, officers intercepted a truck in the southern province of Cádiz on October 21, discovering 12 tons of hashish concealed in false compartments behind crates of green peppers. Three days later, a second truck carrying eight tons of the drug was stopped near Granada.

Both vehicles had arrived at the port of Algeciras from Tangier. The operation led to the arrest and imprisonment of 20 people accused of drug trafficking and belonging to an organized crime network.

Investigators said the traffickers used lookout vehicles to evade detection, and some of the seized drugs were wrapped in candy-like packaging designed to appeal to younger users.

In addition to the cannabis, authorities confiscated nine vehicles, an automatic pistol, and over €7,000 ($8,100) in cash. The bust was carried out in cooperation with Moroccan police.

Spain remains one of Europe’s main gateways for drug smuggling due to its proximity to Morocco—a leading source of hashish—and its close ties with Latin American countries, a key region for cocaine production.