Spanish authorities have dismantled an important drug-trafficking network accused of hiding cannabis in a fake humanitarian convoy for Ukraine with the aim of sending it to several European countries, AFP reports.

According to the Spanish Civil Guard, a total of thirty people were arrested during this operation, which took place in several cities in Andalusia (in the south), including Seville, Malaga and Granada.

The suspects, citizens of Spain, Ukraine, Germany and Morocco, obtained their supplies “from cannabis plantations spread across Andalusia,” the Civil Guard said in a statement.

In order to export their goods, they “hid them in cardboard boxes”, which they passed off as “supplies and humanitarian aid intended for Ukraine”, the release states.

For this, a fake “caravan of solidarity” was created with minibuses registered in Ukraine.

The traders “believed that they could remain unnoticed due to police control and at the border,” the press release emphasizes.

During the operation, almost 800,000 euros were confiscated, as well as six firearms and 2,500 cannabis plants, according to the Civil Guard. (Source Agerpres)