MADRID: Authorities in Gibraltar seized 1.5 tonnes of cannabis resin, while in neighbouring Spain police raided an illegal plantation with nearly 1,800 marijuana plants, authorities said here the other day.
The Gibraltar government said officers seized the cannabis with a street value of more than US$7.8 million (RM29.79 million) on a speedboat in the Mediterranean.
Customs officers and police arrested two Spaniards and a French national who face drug-smuggling charges, the Gibraltar government said in a statement.
Lying on the southern tip of Spain, Gibraltar is governed by London but claimed by Madrid.
In Spain yesterday, police said they had seized 1,754 marijuana plants and arrested two people at an illegal plantation in the mountains north of Madrid.
Through their “large-scale, intensive and sped-up” production methods they managed to produce extra-strong marijuana which they sold to individuals.
Police also seized a range of expensive agricultural equipment and fertiliser, which “enabled them to have big harvests every two or three months.”
Spain is one of the main gateways for drug-smuggling into Europe. Police here regularly seize tonnes of cannabis and cocaine from international smugglers, as well as raiding growers based in Spain.
The biggest haul of hashish in Spain dates to 2013, when 52 tonnes were seized from an industrial warehouse in the southern city of Cordoba.
The biggest haul of cocaine on record dates back to 2006 when nearly 50 tonnes were seized.
