Spanish authorities have uncovered a suspected drug-smuggling tunnel connecting Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.
Discovered during an operation targeting hashish trafficking, the tunnel is equipped with basic lighting and plunges to a depth of 39 feet.
Located within a warehouse in Ceuta’s industrial zone, the tunnel’s entrance was concealed beneath a trapdoor leading to a descending stairway.
According to reports from Spain’s El País newspaper, the Spanish section of the tunnel stretches 164 feet and originates in a former marble factory that shuttered its operations in 2020.
No drugs were found at the site and no arrests have been made directly related to the tunnel's discovery.
However, the Civil Guard believes it “could have been used to transport drugs across the border between Morocco and Spain”.
The discovery comes amidst a larger crackdown on drug trafficking in the region, resulting in the seizure of over 6,000kg of hashish hidden in trucks and the detention of several individuals, including two Civil Guard officers.
The discovery underscores the ongoing challenges faced by authorities in controlling drug trafficking between Morocco and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which represent Europe's sole land border with Africa.
It comes after Spain and Morocco recently reopened customs points in both enclaves to facilitate legal trade.
The border between Morocco and Ceuta has long been a flashpoint for sporadic migration tensions.
In late 2024, Moroccan security forces stopped groups of people who sought to force their way across the border into Ceuta following a call on social networks for a mass migration attempt, authorities said.
None successfully made it into Spain, the Spanish Interior Ministry said.
It said Spanish and Moroccan security efforts ″allowed the situation to be brought under control”.
Moroccan authorities also arrested 60 people suspected of inciting a mass migration attempt on social networks, Moroccan intelligence agency DGSN said in a Facebook post.
