Spanish police bust helicopter drug ring

MADRID: Spanish police on Sunday said they busted a drug ring suspected of using helicopters to smuggle France-bound hashish and marijuana from Morocco to Spain. Officers arrested 11 people and are seeking another 11 suspects in France, Spanish police said in a statement.

Police seized 112 kilograms (247 pounds) of marijuana, 2.4 tonnes of hashish, three helicopters, four guns and ammunition with support from French police and EU crime agency Europol.

The ring is believed to have used helicopters to ferry drugs from Morocco to southern Spain and then to France in trucks and a tour bus with fake licence plates. Spain’s proximity to Morocco — a major hashish producer — has made it a key entry point for drugs bound for Europe.