Morocco and Spain to partner on combatting drug trafficking using drones

Spain and Morocco seek to improve coordination to combat drug trafficking with drones, as part of their bilateral cooperation for combined operations against terrorism and the deconstruction of global drug trafficking networks.

According to Ceuta Actualidad, the Andalusian Anti-Drug Prosecutor, Ana Villagómez, has announced the establishment of coordination contacts between the judicial systems of Spain and Morocco in an effort to restrict the flow of narcotics from Africa to the Andalusian coast. 

This action is a component of the bilateral cooperation between the two nations for coordinated operations against terrorism and the breakdown of global drug and psychotropic substance trafficking networks.

Villagómez explained in statements to the program “Hoy por Hoy Cádiz” that the new reality imposed by computer and technological development requires “moving forward because there is a wide margin for joint work and cooperation between both countries.” 

The same official noted that Sanlcar de Barrameda’s coastline and the Strait area are the most affected by illicit drug use, particularly in light of the growth of smuggling gangs’ employment of cutting-edge technological methods. 

Since the pandemic’s start, high-capacity drones have been used to carry psychoactive narcotics from Ceuta to Morocco and hashish from Morocco to Spain, according to Villagómez.

She emphasized that more collaboration is required for the governments of both nations to pursue drug traffickers.

Her announcement comes three months after Rosa Ana Morán, a Spanish anti-drug prosecutor, asked for the formation of a working group with Morocco to increase cooperation in the control of the transit of hashish intended for the Spanish ports, mainly through Algeciras. 

The official claimed that the mafia relocated to Huelva, the Guadalquivir, and even the Ebro Delta due to pressure from the police and the judiciary in the Strait of Gibraltar.