Spanish police and Customs seize 3.2 tonnes of cannabis resin

Spanish law enforcement agencies seized nearly 3.3 tonnes of cannabis resin and arrested eight people in an operation targeting drug traffickers operating in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Police officers set up a surveillance operation in the northeast corner of the bay of Gibraltar near San Roque after a Customs helicopter spotted a suspicious rigid-hulled inflatable boat heading toward the coastline.

As the boat approached the shore, police moved in to arrest those waiting to unload the bales.

The smugglers tried to speed off in three vehicles, one of which rammed a police car in a bid to get away.

After a short pursuit, however, all three vehicles were stopped and their occupants arrested.

Officers also managed to arrest the crew of the boat before they could head back out to sea.

A total of 102 bales of cannabis resin were unloaded from the RHIB, weighing 3,250 kilos.

The three vehicles seized had been stolen and stripped for use ferrying drugs.