Spanish police have dismantled a criminal gang that was building semi-submersible drones capable of smuggling up to 200kg of drugs across the Strait of Gibraltar, raising concerns that such technology could be used to bring cocaine into the UK.
The Policía Nacional arrested eight people in Cádiz, Málaga and Barcelona, and recovered three unmanned underwater vehicles, one almost finished and two under construction. Officers also seized 145kg of hashish, 8kg of marijuana, €157,370 in cash, and six large aerial drones with a range of 30km.
Police said the gang specialised in building false boat bottoms and hidden compartments for cars and trailers, but also had a sideline in marine drones. The underwater vessels were due to be delivered to French narco-traffickers for transporting significant quantities of cocaine.
The 14-month investigation, carried out with French police, established that the gang supplied logistical help to clients in Italy, France, Denmark, and criminal gangs in Catalonia, the Costa del Sol, the Campo de Gibraltar, and Ceuta. Six of the eight charged with drug trafficking and belonging to a criminal organisation have been remanded in custody.
In February, five Spaniards and two Ecuadorians were jailed for plotting to ferry 3,068kg of cocaine across the Atlantic from Brazil to Spain in a homemade semi-submersible 'narco-submarine'.
