WATCH: Guardia Civil seizes more than two tons of hashish in the Sevilla region of Spain

More than two tons of hashish were seized in the Sevilla region of Spain by the Guardia Civil.

As reported in a statement from the Guardia Civil today Thursday, February 23, the force smashed an international criminal organisation. It was dedicated to introducing large batches of hashish for subsequent shipment to other European countries.

‘Operation Macadamia’ was carried out in conjunction with Europol, and directed by the Investigating Court No17 of Sevilla. More than two tons of drugs were seized as a result of the operation and 20 people arrested.

The operation began in October 2021, when the force detected a shipment of hashish that was hidden in a truck, inside pallets of onions. At that time, the two truckers were arrested and 468 kilograms of hashish were seized.

Subsequently, in May 2022, the shipment of another drug consignment was detected. This time it was hidden in the legal cargo of a truck headed to the Jaen municipality of La Carolina. The truck driver was detained along with 194 kilograms of hashish and 30 kilos of marijuana.

That same month, officers also intercepted a boat that the organisation had chartered on the high seas, seizing 1,800 kilograms of hashish and arresting its three occupants.

Meanwhile, the investigators were able to learn about the organisation’s framework and found out that those responsible were two Italian citizens who had an outstanding European arrest and surrender warrant for four years.

They were also able to verify that the ringleaders resided in towns located between the cities of Sevilla and Malaga. To avoid detection, they adopted numerous security measures, among them: carrying false identities, changing their address every four months and travelling in a well-known online passenger transport company with private drivers.

It was also known that the destination of the drug was France and Italy, so the Guardia Civil investigators established contacts with the police of these countries, coordinated by Europol.

Once the entire framework and the roles played by all the members of the organization were known, six entries and searches were made in Sevilla and Carmona. In these searches, more than 33 kilograms of hashish, 16 kilograms of marijuana, 34 mobile phones, falsified documentation, cash, and a large marijuana plantation were seized.

En colaboración con Europol hemos desmantelado una organización criminal internacional dedicada a introducir grandes partidas de hachís en la Península para su envío posterior otros países de Europa. https://t.co/D3g6l730Aj pic.twitter.com/knDrNO85Tv

— Guardia Civil 🇪🇸 (@guardiacivil) February 23, 2023