Spain seizes the first underwater drones used to smuggle drugs.

MADRID: Spanish police reported on Monday that they had dismantled a gang suspected of producing drugs and seized six underwater drones capable of bringing heavy loads of drugs from Morocco to Spain.

In operations conducted in Barcelona and the southern provinces of Malaga and Cadiz, police said they confiscated six of the alleged "drone submarines" and detained eight individuals.

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), as such devices are technically termed, were seized for the first time, according to the police.

For use by other criminal organisations, they think the gang produced underwater drones "capable of bearing enormous loads."

Drug traffickers might be able to remotely transfer significant amounts of drugs over the Strait of Gibraltar with the use of these equipment, according to the statement.

The drones each have up to 12 motors and a 30-kilometer range (18 miles).

That is simple enough to handle an underwater traverse of the 15-kilometer-long Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Spain from Morocco (nine miles).

According to police, their customers included criminal gangs from Denmark, France, Italy, and Spain.

Spain is a major entrance point for narcotics headed for Europe because of its close ties to former colonies in Latin America, which is a major region for the production of cocaine, and its physical proximity to Morocco, a major producer of hashish.