HIBAPRESS – Mohamed Zariouh
The Spanish National Police arrested two people at Melilla Airport who were preparing to travel to Tenerife via Madrid after it was discovered that they were carrying 55 oval capsules containing hashish inside their bodies.
The security operation came within the framework of a large-scale campaign called "Operation Encina," which targeted the dismantling of a criminal network specializing in smuggling narcotics from Melilla to the Canary Islands. According to a security statement, the operation took place on September 11th after weeks of careful monitoring carried out by the Anti-Drug Trafficking Team (UDYCO) of the National Police in Melilla. Investigations began in July, when security services received information indicating the repeated travel of two individuals to the islands, suspected of being involved in activities related to the illegal trafficking of narcotics. During the two-month monitoring period, the police were able to monitor the movements and behavior of the suspects within the airport environment, which confirmed suspicions about their involvement. On the day of the intervention, security elements stopped them in the departure hall before boarding the plane, and they were transferred directly to the Regional Hospital in Melilla after it was suspected that they had swallowed capsules containing drugs. Medical X-ray examinations revealed the presence of foreign bodies inside the digestive system of the detainees, who spent six days under close medical supervision until they got rid of 55 capsules wrapped in transparent plastic, with a total weight of about half a kilogram of hashish. The police revealed that the detainees, who are Spanish citizens aged 25 and 30, have a criminal record with 45 prior judicial cases. After their recovery, they were referred to the Primary Court No. 3 in Melilla on charges of drug trafficking. The police pointed to the danger of this method of drug smuggling, as it poses a direct threat to the lives of those involved if one of the capsules ruptures inside the body. They also confirmed that the operation comes in the context of an increase in attempts to smuggle hashish coming from Morocco via Melilla towards the rest of the Spanish territories, reiterating their commitment to continue their efforts to combat criminal networks that adopt sophisticated and dangerous methods to transport drugs.
