With Morocco's support, Spain dismantles major drug network in operation ‘Sombra Negra’

Spanish authorities have dismantled a large drug trafficking network and seized about 57 metric tons of cocaine in an international operation known as “Sombra Negra,” carried out with the cooperation of several foreign intelligence and law enforcement agencies, including Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security.

Spain’s public broadcaster Canal 24 Horas reported statements by Pedro Fernández, the Spanish government’s delegate in the southern region of Andalusia, who said the operation targeted a criminal organization made up of around 100 people involved in large-scale cocaine trafficking.

Fernández said the network had an extensive organizational structure operating across multiple regions, including Galicia and Portugal, as well as the Spanish provinces of Huelva, Cadiz, Malaga, Almeria, Girona and the enclave of Ceuta. He added that the group’s activities extended beyond mainland Spain to Morocco and several Spanish islands, including Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Tenerife.

According to Fernández, the operation was conducted with the direct support of Spain’s National Intelligence Center and in coordination with a range of international partners. These included the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, a U.S. law enforcement agency, Europol and the European Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre for Narcotics.

Authorities from Portugal, France, Colombia, Britain and Cape Verde also took part in the operation, he said, underscoring the scale of international cooperation involved in dismantling the network.

The operation highlights growing cross-border collaboration among European, African and transatlantic partners in efforts to combat international drug trafficking networks operating across land and maritime routes.