The Spanish National Court has failed to receive a response from Moroccan authorities regarding a formal request for judicial cooperation linked to a drug smuggling tunnel. This request has remained unanswered for over a year and a half. The investigation concerns a tunnel discovered in the vicinity of the Tarajal border crossing in Ceuta. Spanish officials seek information from Morocco to identify those responsible for the construction and use of the passage. The lack of communication has effectively stalled the legal proceedings initiated by the court. Judicial authorities in Spain continue to wait for the requested documentation to advance their inquiry into the cross-border operation.
It is the official position of the Spanish National Court that they have not received a response from Moroccan authorities regarding a request for judicial cooperation on a drug smuggling tunnel for over a year and a half. This ongoing silence from the neighboring state has created a significant procedural impasse for the presiding magistrates tasked with resolving the case.
Timeline of Judicial Requests
Judge Maria Tardon issued a formal judicial letter to Moroccan authorities in February 2025. The document requested specific information regarding the first drug smuggling tunnel discovered in the Tarajal area of Ceuta. Officials in Spain intended this correspondence to initiate the process of cross-border cooperation necessary to identify the individuals involved in the tunnel's construction and subsequent use for illicit transport.
Judge Maria Tardon issued a judicial letter to Moroccan authorities in February 2025 seeking information about the first drug smuggling tunnel discovered in the Tarajal area. This specific request was designed to facilitate the exchange of technical data and intelligence between the two nations to uncover the network responsible for the subterranean infrastructure.
Spanish judicial sources report that the National Court has not received even a formal acknowledgment of receipt for the request regarding this initial tunnel. The lack of response from Morocco persists despite the submission of the judicial letter through official diplomatic and legal channels. Spanish judicial sources state that the court has not received even a formal acknowledgment of receipt for the request regarding the first tunnel. This absence of communication has left the court without the evidence required to proceed with the investigation into the origins of the subterranean passage.
The Spanish National Court has been waiting for over two years for a response from Morocco regarding the tunnels discovered in Ceuta, according to a judge cited by Cadena SER. This duration of silence complicates the judicial process, as the court requires direct data from Moroccan authorities to verify the operational details of the smuggling route. The investigation currently remains in a state of suspension while legal personnel await the necessary documentation to move forward with the case. The court’s inability to secure a reply remains the primary obstacle to identifying the parties who engineered the tunnel and utilized it for illegal activities across the border.
