Police in Malaga province have dealt a major blow to an alleged hashish trafficking and money-laundering network after a 10-tonne seizure. Spain’s National Police say the operation led to more than 86 arrests nationwide and the seizure of 10.8 tonnes of hashish and more than 21.8kg of cannabis buds. The alleged mastermind, described as running the operation from Morocco-linked supply negotiations to transport, stash houses and laundering, used encrypted messaging to coordinate the monthly arrival of tonnes from the Moroccan coast. The drugs were mainly moved to central Spain and the eastern coastal region, then stored in rented flats, villas and industrial units before being sent on to destinations across Spain and Europe. During the investigation, officers carried out 33 searches, including two in Malaga province. They dismantled seven storage sites in different regions, with locations named in Las Tablas, Sanchinarro and El Cañaveral in Madrid, and an industrial warehouse in Silla, Valencia province. Across Spain, police detained 65 people in Madrid, ten in Guadalajara and five in Valencia. They also arrested one person each in Almeria, Burgos and Girona, while three alleged gang members were taken into custody in Malaga. A key breakthrough came on 8 October, when police arrested the alleged head of the organisation in Tangier. He had been on the run since March 2026, after escaping from his home in a luxury residential development in Madrid during the first wave of arrests. Spanish and Moroccan police, supported by international law enforcement, tracked him down under an international arrest warrant, and he is now awaiting extradition proceedings to Spain. Police say the network allegedly used shell companies, fraudulent loans obtained through nominees and purchases of luxury vehicles to channel profits into the legitimate economy. They also seized almost 466,000 euros in cash, 25 vehicles, 15 luxury watches, two long-barrelled firearms and four prohibited weapons. The investigation remains open on suspicion of membership of a criminal organisation, drug trafficking and money laundering, and police have not ruled out further arrests.