More Drugs, More Narcos

The government acknowledges that the Canary‑Atlantic zone has a “growing vulnerability” due to drug‑trafficking organisations

The government has admitted, through the National Security Department (DSN) report, that “the areas of the Strait of Gibraltar and the Canary‑Atlantic arc present a growing vulnerability for Spain.”

The report, obtained by Europa Press, notes that some organised groups may be repurposing routes and means originally designed for drug trafficking to carry out illegal‑immigration activities, thereby diversifying their criminal portfolio.

Specifically, the report states that the COVAM (Maritime Action Operations and Surveillance Centre, under the Navy) has recorded more than 600 go‑fast vessels suspected of drug‑trafficking operations, mainly in the Strait of Gibraltar area.

“Regarding hashish trafficking, after the sharp drop in seizures recorded in 2023 – which persisted throughout 2024 – the route from Morocco, the world’s main producer, to Spain appears to have re‑activated in 2025,” the report warns.

The document also highlights “excellent” economic relations with the neighbouring country, noting that Spain was its top trading partner last year.

More Than 600 Suspected Drug‑Running Go‑Fast Boats

The DSN report confirms that over 600 go‑fast “narco‑boats” are suspected of drug‑trafficking activities, primarily in the Strait of Gibraltar, and that narcotraffickers are showing increased aggression toward security forces, even employing weapons of war.

“Regarding hashish trafficking, the route from Morocco to Spain seems to have re‑activated in 2025,” the report adds.

The 2025 analysis cites the death of a Portuguese Gendarmerie officer in the Guadiana River after his official vessel was rammed by a narco‑boat. A week earlier, two Civil Guard agents were killed while pursuing a go‑fast vessel 80 nautical miles off Huelva.

“Aggressions and harassment of FCSE members have continued. Traffickers sometimes do not hesitate to ram land vehicles and boats when they sense a risk of interception or loss of the cargo, demonstrating heightened aggression toward agents,” the report notes.

Although the number of violent incidents against the State’s security forces “has not been especially high compared with previous years,” National Security warns that “an increased offensive capability is being detected,” citing the use of war‑grade weapons by these criminal organisations.

Guadalquivir and Collaboration with Portugal

The DSN explains that while the bulk of the substance is moved by sea, a significant amount of hashish is also concealed in trucks once it reaches land – a trend first observed in 2023 and now on the rise, with overland routes from Almería, Granada and Cádiz toward France and the rest of Europe.

In parallel with maritime trafficking, the report highlights a noticeable rise in fuel seizures in southern Spain, especially in the provinces of Cádiz and Huelva, intended to refuel the go‑fast boats.

“Pressure on drug trafficking in the Gulf of Cádiz and the Guadalquivir River mouth has pushed criminal organisations to shift their sphere of influence to the province of Huelva, the Guadiana River area, and the Algarve region of Portugal,” the document continues.

Aware of the seriousness of the problem, Spanish and Portuguese authorities maintain a continuous, coordinated effort to combat the threat.

The report adds that stash zones are expanding westward (the Huelva coast and Portugal) and eastward (the Levantine arc, from Murcia’s coast to Girona and the Balearic Islands), with “arrivals of vessels even in southern France and Italy” being detected.

Emerging Atlantic Route

The DSN again points to Morocco. “Fearing the loss of vessels and the consequent economic damage, criminal organisations operate from Morocco, avoiding Spanish coasts to evade interception,” the report warns, noting that they also use small semi‑rigid boats, fishing vessels, sailing boats, or recreational craft.

In the emerging “Atlantic hashish route,” the drug is loaded off the Moroccan Atlantic coast and shipped to farther‑south African countries such as Senegal, Guinea‑Bissau and Guinea‑Conakry. There, it is hidden and later transported overland through the Sahel to Libya, from where it can be sent to Europe or onward to Middle‑Eastern markets.

To maximise profits and obscure money trails, criminal groups are trading cocaine for hashish, using the same vessels that import cocaine to Africa and Europe to also transport hashish to those destinations.

Proximity to Morocco also facilitates the reactivation of aerial tactics, employing various aircraft—including drones—to conduct clandestine flights between Morocco and Spain to move hashish shipments, as confirmed by police operations.